Beast
by Roselilia
Summary: Dogs are useful beasts. Teach them anything, teach them well, and they can do just about anything for absolutely nothing in return. Get them young and the more obedient and loyal they are. Give them a word of praise, a pat on the head, and they light up like you just gave them the world. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Hi, so this is a repost since this was taken down. I'll be updating this everyday.

Based on Unleashed

Unbeta'd

* * *

><p>Dogs are useful beasts. Teach them anything, teach them well, and they can do just about anything for absolutely nothing in return. Get them young and the more obedient and loyal they are. Give them a word of praise, a pat on the head, and they light up like you just gave them the world. Such simplistic useful creatures dogs are.<p>

Haizaki grinned around his cigar as he leaned against his expensive plush chair, looking in the corner where a boy sat in his cage.

He had light blue hair that refused to stay dyed no matter how many times he tried, blank blue eyes that held no emotions or even thoughts, pale ethereal skin and wore a simple black outfit that contrasted with his entire body. A simple black collar was wrapped around his neck tightly, the neck scarred from years of the collar rubbing it.

"It's about your birthday isn't it boy?" Haizaki asked with a grin. The boy didn't answer, didn't show a reaction as if he didn't hear Haizaki. "You're about fifteen now I think. Been with us for ten years. Perhaps I'll give you a dog treat."

Still, the boy just stared forward blankly and Haizaki chortled to himself as he went back to counting the pile of money in front of him. Today had been a good haul. He did anything for money although he was best known for being a loan shark.

The phone on his desk rang and he waited a couple of rings before answering.

"What?" Haizaki answered gruffly.

"Haizaki-san!" A voice rang, filled with fear that had Haizaki grinning with pleasure. "It's been two days and we haven't been able to contact Seta Kiba."

"Ah, he owes me 1mil doesn't he?"

"Yes! The payment is due but he hasn't called or picked up the phone." The voice on the phone was panicked, scared that he would be the one punished. Haizaki didn't mind punishing the messenger when he was in a bad mood. Heck he didn't mind when he was in a good mood either.

"Heh, give me the address." Haizaki memorized the address the caller relayed to him before hanging up the phone and going over to the cage with sadistic excitement. "Up and out, Kuroko."

The boy stood up obediently and left the cage when Haizaki unlocked it. Kuroko wordlessly followed Haizaki out of the room and out the building with a grace that contrasted against Haizaki's gruff demeanor.

They reached Haizaki's expensive car and Kuroko wordlessly sat in the back as Haizaki gave the driver the address to drive to.

"Kuroko, it's the same procedure. Seta Kiba is late with his payment and I want you to either collect or kill if he doesn't have the money. Am I understood?" Haizaki asked as they car drove off, a bit faster than the driving limit.

"I understand, Haizaki-san." Kuroko robotically said in a soft whispery voice, and Haizaki grinned as he sat back.

They reached a modest house and Haizaki took off Kuroko's collar. A dangerous glint appeared in Kuroko's eyes and his entire demeanor changed, his presence seeming to fade and it became hard to focus on him.

"Go." Haizaki ordered and Kuroko slid out of the car smoothly.

The small boy slowly trailed around the house before he spotted an open window which he soundlessly slid into. He found himself in a child's room with the child himself sitting on the floor playing with his toys, not noticing the new presence behind him.

Kuroko tilted his head curiously as he looked at the boy but he decided to leave the boy alone. His orders were to deal with Seta and Haizaki hadn't mentioned anyone else.

Kuroko swiftly left the room, the boy still not noticing him, and he walked down a hallway, his footsteps silent. He passed a laundry room where a woman hummed as she folded laundry and Kuroko gave her a small look before moving on to find his target.

After passing a moderately sized bedroom, Kuroko found himself in front of a small study where a middle aged balding man was anxiously shifting through papers. The boy entered the room and quietly closed the door and locked it, all without the man even noticing.

"Seta Kiba?" Kuroko questioned and the man shouted in surprise as he gripped his chest.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?" The man barked as he slammed a hand against his desk.

"You owe Haizaki money and I have come here to collect." Kuroko explained emotionlessly, although the dangerous glint was still in his eyes. The man immediately froze and his mouth opened and closed repeatedly as his beady eyes looked around the room for an escape or a weapon.

"Please, I have a wife and child." The man pleaded as he gripped a letter opener in his shaky hands. He raised it up and pointed it in Kuroko's direction. "You're just a kid. Just walk away and I won't hurt you."

"Do you have the money?" Kuroko asked as he ignored the man's words and merely gave the weapon a bored little look, not the least bit perturbed.

"I'll give Haizaki his money! I just don't have it now." The man shouted and there was a timid knock on the door as his wife asked if he was alright. "Call the police!"

"You don't have the money? Then my apologies Seta-san." Kuroko suddenly disappeared from sight and the man looked around frantically.

He had heard of the phantom, a servant of Haizaki's. You couldn't see him unless he wanted you to see him. Seta had just thought he was a myth, if he had known he was real then he wouldn't have accepted the loan from Haizaki.

A small, almost fragile, hand gripped his own hand that held the letter opener and with strength Seta didn't know the boy possessed, manipulated his hand so the blade face him. Another hand slammed his hand forward and the blade plunged right into his throat.

Blood spurted out and he gurgled as red liquid slid out of his mouth and down his neck. He opened his mouth wording 'help' over and over again as he fell to the ground convulsing. Kuroko stepped back as blood pooled around the dying body and watched apathetically until the man's eyes rolled back and his body stilled.

Kuroko quickly left the study through the window and immediately went back to the car where Haizaki was impatiently waiting.

"Target eliminated." Kuroko reported as the car sped away and Haizaki laughed as he snapped the collar back on Kuroko whose eyes went blank as a doll's.

"Good job dog."


	2. Chapter 2

Alright, to make it clear, I did take down my stories but NOT because of any shift in interest. I was dealing with a lot of problems and some of them were oriented towards my fiction so I took them down. I've dealt with my issues, I'm a stronger person now so I'm back.

Unbeta'd

* * *

><p>Being the head of a large gang was not easy, even for someone as competent as Akashi Seijuro. Teiko was a large gang that dominated most of Japan and with that prestige came lots of responsibilities as well as having to be on constant watch in case of assassinations.<p>

He had two able bodied bodyguards, Kise and Aomine, but still, it wasn't quite enough. Akashi felt the need to have someone more subtle, someone to work in the shadows so to speak, to carry out what his bodyguards couldn't.

Akashi sighed as he leaned back and stared at the pathetic man in front of him whose name he couldn't be bothered remembering.

"You've been caught trading information on my whereabouts to a rival gang. What do you have to say for yourself?" Akashi asked as he set his mismatched eyes on the man who trembled in fear. The man sputtered pathetically and began to look for an escape like a cornered animal but one glance at Akashi's formidable bodyguards made him sink in defeat.

"I'm sorry! Please, I have a family!" The man pleaded and Akashi looked at him with as much interest as he would a bug.

"You had a partner. I want his name." Akashi's yellow eye, his emperor eye, flashed threateningly. His eye was able to spot lies and predict attacks with deadly accuracy and it was one of the reasons his reputation was so dangerous.

"Hiroto Ren! Please have mercy on me." The man said without any hesitation for his loyalty to his partner. Akashi's eyes narrowed at the name. Hiroto wasn't necessarily an important man, merely a manager of one of Akashi's many businesses, but he was privy to a lot of information that Akashi hadn't wanted to be known.

"Anyone else?" Akashi asked and the man shook his head frantically and Akashi saw no lies. "For your honesty your family will live."

Akashi nodded to Aomine, who pulled out a gun and without hesitation, shot the man in the head. Blood exploded as the bullet went through the man's skull and Akashi slightly grimaced as a drop of blood landed on his expensive three pieced suite.

"Ah, sorry boss." Aomine drawled and Akashi shook his head.

"We have more important things to deal with." Akashi said as he stood up and Aomine immediately headed out the door while Kise waited for Akashi to leave before trailing behind him.

Eyes automatically looked at Aomine before they saw Akashi which wasn't a big surprise and one of the reasons Akashi preferred keeping Aomine in front of him in case of an attack.

With short dark blue hair, dangerous usually half lidded navy eyes, foreign dark skin and huge muscular body, Aomine grabbed most of the attention from Akashi. If an attack were to occur the attackers would be drawn to Aomine which would allow them time to counterattack.

Kise drew attention as well with his blonde hair, nearly feminine facial features with golden eyes that held childlike innocence despite his profession and big build although not as big as Aomine was.

It was easy to overlook Akashi at first especially when he was between the two although once seen it was impossible for him not to hold anyone's attention with his perfectly groomed blood red hair, his ruby red eye and emperor eye that demanded respect and the aura of authority he exuded.

As he walked out of the building he deemed his headquarters, many gang members bowed their respect, beads of sweat marring their heads at being so close to someone so dangerous. They all followed him with equal parts of respect and fear.

"Please clean up my office." Akashi ordered a random gang member who squeaked and nodded fervidly before scurrying away.

Akashi left the building and went into his limo with a chauffeur already waiting orders. Akashi gave him the directions to where Hiroto worked and the driver drove off.

"Are you going to kill him?" Kise asked as he subtly patted the spot where is gun was hidden.

"Yes. Perhaps I will make an example of him for anyone else looking to betray me." Akashi murmured, a sadistic streak going through his eyes. To think that people thought they could get away with betraying him…It was insulting.

"Maybe I'll get some action!" Kise said happily and Aomine rolled his eyes.

"Don't look so happy idiot." He drawled.

"You only say that because you got that last guy!" Kise said with a pout and Akashi gently rubbed his head, willing away his headache. Able-bodied his bodyguards were, mature they were not.

They arrived at their destination and made their way into the building. They hadn't expected to arrive at a bloodbath.

Dead bodies littered the floor, fresh blood covering every inch of the linoleum floor, all the bodies having a surprised look on their frozen faces. Gunshots rang from further in the building and the trio immediately took out their guns and pulled the safety.

Cautiously, with Aomine and Kise leading the way, they made their way in the direction of the noise. There was shouting accompanied by sounds of pain. They found their way in a room where men were frantically looking around with guns pointed every which way.

A knife suddenly appeared in a man's throat and he gurgled as he fell, his gun going off and shooting another man's leg as it hit the floor. The man went down and there was suddenly a bullet in the middle of his head.

To everyone else, it look like the knife had come out of nowhere, but Akashi was not everybody else. His emperor eye could see the beauty that they did not.

The assassin was a dangerous kind of beautiful. He moved with the grace of a panther and was obviously skilled by the way he made absolutely no unnecessary movements. His blue eyes were cold and calculative, predicting the men's actions and acting accordingly. Blood marred his pale nearly translucent skin and sky blue hair but the assassin took no notice.

He moved unseen through the mess of panicked men, easily disposing them and one by one they landed on the floor dead. Kise and Aomine moved to help them, for they did technically work under Akashi even if they mainly took orders from Hiroto, but Akashi pushed their guns down with his hands.

Soon everyone in the room was dead except on man who Akashi recognized as Hiroto Ren. He was backed into a corner, brown eyes wide with pure terror as he stared around the room, screaming when he saw Akashi. He opened his mouth to say something but a soft waif like voice interrupted him.

"Are you Hiroto Ren?" The assassin asked and Aomine and Kise jumped as they noticed him for the first time. Hiroto screamed as he stared at the boy, for it was a boy, a teenager at best.

"When did you get here?" Hiroto demanded shrilly, his eyes landing on the gun the assassin held.

"I've been here the whole time. Are you Hiroto Ren?" The assassin asked again.

"He is." Akashi suddenly said and the boy looked at him. Blue eyes thoroughly looked at Akashi from head to foot, trying to get a feel on how dangerous he was and if he was a threat. He did the same for Kise and Aomine, the duo bristling, before turning his attention back to Hiroto.

"You owe Haizaki-san money. Do you have it?" The boy asked and Hiroto looked at him incredulously.

"This is all because of the money he lent me? You're not with…him?" Hiroto asked as he pointed at Akashi rudely.

"I am working with Haizaki-san. Do you have his money?" If it annoyed the boy to continually repeat his questions it didn't show.

"Get rid of them and I'll give you the money I owe." Hiroto said without lowering his fingers and Aomine and Kise raised their guns and trained it at the assassin.

The boy slowly turned to the trio and looked at them with the same cold calculating gaze that he had when he was killing the other men but this time it was mixed with a bit of pensiveness and uncertainty. Not because he was uncomfortable with the idea but more like he didn't know if he should.

"Stop." A voice demanded from behind Akashi who turned around to see a man walking towards them.

He had shoulder length silver hair that didn't looked dyed but was unusual to be natural, amused ash grey eyes, held an expensive brand of cigar in his mouth and wore an expensive looking suite. In his hand he twirled around a black collar meant for dogs.

"Sorry to interrupt but I got curious when I saw a limo outside." The man explained as he bowed in front of Akashi respectively. "Shougo Haizaki."

"Akashi Seijuro." Akashi replied back, bringing his attention back to the boy who looked frozen but not with fear. As if he was suspended in time, waiting for orders on what to do next.

"Ah, still haven't taken care of him Kuroko?" Haizaki asked as he entered the room, not the least perturbed by the bodies.

"What is your business with this man?" Akashi demanded coldly.

"He owes me money." Haizaki answered simply and Akashi's eyes narrowed angrily as he gestured to all the bodies.

"These were my men that you had killed." Haizaki looked apologetic but through his emperor's eye he could tell that it was false.

"They must have attacked Kuroko here." Haizaki said as he gestured to the boy who didn't seem to be paying a lick of attention to the conversation. "I'll be happy to pay you for the trouble this has caused you."

"I do not need your money." Akashi said as he stepped closer to Kuroko.

"Ah! Interesting thing isn't he? Kuroko Tetsuya, my pet dog." Haizaki said and Kuroko showed no emotion at being called a pet.

"A pet you say…how intriguing. He does what you say?" Akashi confirmed and Haizaki nodded with pride.

"Got him young and trained him right. No emotion just obedience."

"Quite fascinating." Akashi murmured. Suddenly Hiroto whimpered and everyone's attention was drawn back to him.

"This man owes me a lot of money." Haizaki said and Akashi gave Hiroto a bored look, much more interested in the enigma in front of him.

"Do as you please, I was here to punish him but I care not who does it." Akashi said dismissively and Haizaki grinned.

"Do you have my money Hiroto?" Haizaki asked as he twirled the collar in his hand once more. Hiroto whimpered and tried to bury himself even more into his corner before he reluctantly shook his head. "Kuroko, kill."

Suddenly before everyone's eyes except Akashi's, Kuroko disappeared and moved in front of Hiroto. With a murmured apology, Kuroko shot the man in the head before shifting back in front of Haizaki who smirked and snapped the collar onto Kuroko's neck.

Immediately, as soon as the collar was in place, Kuroko became more noticeable, more real, but more of a porcelain doll than the dangerous lithe assassin he had been moments ago.

"He is truly fascinating Shougo." Akashi said and a flitter of irritation went through Haizaki's eyes at being addressed so informally.

"He is nothing but a dog." Haizaki grunted. "I really must be going."

"Of course." Akashi said as he gestured for his bodyguards to move away from the door to allow Haizaki to leave.

"Come." Haizaki ordered and Kuroko obediently followed the man out of the room, not sparing a glance at Akashi or his bodyguards.

"You will be hearing from me in the near future. I'm sure we can come up with a mutually beneficial agreement regarding to my men." Akashi called out and Haizaki paused to bow before leaving.

"You're letting him live after he killed all of your men here?" Aomine asked incredulously and Akashi smirked darkly as he stared at Kuroko's back. Surprisingly, Kuroko briefly looked back and their eyes met for a mere second before the boy disappeared out the doors.

"I found something more amusing." Akashi said as he pulled out his phone and made his way out of the building, wiping his expensive shoes clean on the grass outside.

"Hello?" A sharp voice answered.

"Midorima, I need a cleanup crew." Akashi ordered to the man with the title of advisor but was really responsible for organization that was too menial for Akashi to deal with.

"Very well." Midorima replied.

"I also want all the information you can get on a man named Shougo Haizaki and a Tetsuya Kuroko."


	3. Chapter 3

The phone rang and Haizaki answered it after a few rings while he eyed Kuroko who was mechanically eating the food leftover from Haizaki's lunch. After all, a dog only deserved the scraps from his owner.

"Hello?" Haizaki answered gruffly.

"Hello Shougo, this is Akashi Seijuro. We met the other day." Haizaki gritted his teeth at the condescending voice that graced his ears. If Akashi wasn't such a powerful person then Haizaki would have just hung up but as it was he would have to play nice since he could afford to have such a powerful gang lord as his enemy.

"Ah, a pleasure to hear your voice." Haizaki said with false politeness. "What can I do for you?"

"I have a proposition for you. Do you know of a club called Rakuzan?" Haizaki racked his brain until he recalled that Rakuzan was an infamous club located downtown known for its cage fighting. If memory served him correctly Akashi owned it.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"I want to meet you and Tetsuya there for a bit of a business deal that will be very profitable for you." Akashi said diplomatically and Haizaki raised a pierced eyebrow as he looked over to Kuroko who had finished eating and was currently staring forward.

"Yeah, sure, what day and time should we meet?" Haizaki asked.

"How about tonight, say about midnight?"

"I'll meet you then." Haizaki rudely hung up the phone and sauntered over to Kuroko with a sneer on his face. "If he causes too much trouble for me I'll just have you kill him."

Kuroko said nothing, as his Master hadn't ordered him to reply, but inwardly he felt a rare tinge of amusement. He had looked well at Akashi the other day, when he had been considering if he should kill him or not, and he knew that the redhead wasn't one to be trifled with.

The primal side, the side that was pure animal instincts which Haizaki cultivated in him, instinctively knew that Akashi was strong, perhaps stronger than him, and was dangerous. Even he, who had killed hundreds for his Master, felt a tremor when faced with Akashi whose eyes haunted him.

Those eyes who kept watching him even when he turned invisible to the naked eye. Who showed no signs of disgust or fear when witnessing him kill all those men. Kuroko idly wondered what it would be like to serve a man like Akashi who demanded respect in a way his current Master was not capable of. Kuroko wiped his mind clean of thoughts. It was not safe to think that way.

* * *

><p>Kuroko was uncomfortable. Not that he would ever voice it or let it show on his face as Haizaki led him into a crowded club full of shouting excited people.<p>

It was stuffy and full of drunken people who were shouting and pumping their fists in the air as they all watched two men fighting each other in a cage in the middle of the large room. Haizaki grumbled under his breath as he weaved through the crowd toward the cage, two of his fingers wrapped around Kuroko's collar to drag him along.

Kuroko easily kept up with Haizaki, not bothering to avoid the careless elbows and hands that smacked him accidently or the feet that stamped on his shoeless ones. As they approached the cage, Kuroko saw Akashi lounging in a chair facing the cage with vague interest, with his two bodyguards on each side of him.

"Oi." Haizaki greeted Akashi impolitely and the redhead turned his attention on the duo.

"I'm glad you could make it." Akashi greeted, his words directed to Haizaki but his eyes immediately going to Kuroko with that ever fascinated look in his mix matched eyes.

"Why did you want to meet here?" Haizaki demanded and a flicker of annoyance entered Akashi's eyes only to disappear before it could be seen.

"A business proposition. This club is known to have the best fighters and I've become very interested in _Tetsuya_." Kuroko supressed a shiver as Akashi purred his name. "I want you to have him fight and for every man he beats I will give you 100 dollars in any currency you wish."

Haizaki blinked in surprise before grinning with greed. Seeing his expression Akashi nodded to the bouncer who manned the cage and the burly man cleared the cage once the fight was over. Haizaki took off Kuroko's collar and gestured to the open cage.

"Get in." Haizaki ordered and Kuroko immediately entered the cage and stood in the center while the people jeered at him wondering what such a frail little boy was doing in the cage but bloodlust kept them from doing anything about it.

Another man entered the cage, face full of piercings and body full of bulging muscles that made his head look small. He jeered along with the crowd, laughing and demanding a more worthy opponent. The bouncer locked the cage and wouldn't open it again until someone was knocked out or killed.

"Take him down." Haizaki ordered and Kuroko disappeared from view much to everyone's confusion. Suddenly, in less than a second, the man's feet were knocked from under him and he landed on the ground. Kuroko appeared on top of him, his hands around his neck, blank eyes looking at Haizaki for the order to kill.

"Knock him out." Haizaki ordered just as the man suddenly grabbed Kuroko's thin wrist and used it to throw the small boy against the cage wall. "Don't turn invisible."

Kuroko arranged himself in midair to land on the wall with both feet which he used to kick off the wall. He used the momentum to lunge at the man quickly and he kicked the small dodge ball sized head with enough power to dislodge his jaw.

The man stumbled and opened and closed his mouth, his jaw jiggling unnaturally. Kuroko kicked the man in the stomach and as the man bowed down in pain he slammed his hands down at the back of his head. The head was slammed down on a raised knee and the man fell onto the ground, unconscious.

Once again Kuroko turned to Haizaki, waiting for the order to kill. From the corner of his eye, demanding attention without doing a thing, Akashi stared at him with a twisted smirk that threatened to send shivers down Kuroko's back. _Dangerous._

The bouncer entered the cage and dragged the body out before allowing another man to enter, locking the cage behind him. At Haizaki's order Kuroko attacked the man who wasn't as big as the other and was marginally a better fighter.

Still, even with the order to not use his ability, Kuroko was the better fighter. He was more agile and his attacks were narrowed to the man's pressure points. The man was down within the minute with Kuroko standing in the middle of the cage staring at Haizaki.

Once again the bouncer dragged the body out but this time three men entered the cage, circling him threateningly and pouncing on him as soon as the cage door shut. The order to take them down was a few seconds late so Kuroko took a few hits before fighting them.

It was a harder fight with three people especially without his ability but Kuroko managed. They were big and clumsy and they could often be manipulated to hit each other with a few well timed dodges. Sweat beaded Kuroko's body as he lightly panted. His naturally low stamina was running out.

He jump kicked a man's back with his feet, careening him into another and sending the two to the ground in a crumpled heap. With them temporarily out, Kuroko turned to the third man and slammed an open fist to his throat.

The man gasped, or tried to, but was unable to breathe. Kuroko quickly roundhouse kicked him in the head and the man fell to the ground and didn't get up. The two men on the floor stood up and Kuroko swiftly avoided a kick and a fist.

He grabbed the arm that had tried to punch him and used the momentum to yank the man off his feet into the air, his body temporarily parallel to the ground in front of Kuroko who jabbed him in the spine with a large crack sound. His body slammed to the ground and didn't get up.

Kuroko turned to the last man who at this point realized he couldn't win and was at the cage door, shaking the bars and begging to be let out. It was such a pathetic sight that if Kuroko hadn't been trained to not feel emotions, he would have felt sympathy.

As it was, Kuroko sauntered to the terrified man and simply slammed a hand at the back of his head, effectively and simplistically knocking him out, before going to the center of the cage. He was panting heavily now and he would not be able to continue winning although he would still fight until he passed out.

His stamina, or rather, his lack of stamina was his greatest weakness. Haizaki had spent years trying to build it up but no matter what training menu was used, Kuroko's stamina didn't grow. It was why he had to learn to be quick, so he was able to take down his enemies before it ran out.

The cage door opened and the bodies were removed. Then a dangerous presence entered the cage. Even without looking, Kuroko could feel the power coming out of the man. It was the dark skinned bodyguard that Akashi had by his side.

The man slinked in front of Kuroko, a dark smirk on his face, his eyes animalistically shining as he looked at his prey. Strength, both natural and trained, ran through the man's entire body and Kuroko knew, just by looking at him, that he would lose.

If it had been at the beginning and if he was allowed to use his ability then perhaps he would have a chance, but as it was now, with his stamina all but depleted, Kuroko would have no chance to win and by the glint in the other man's eyes, he knew it too.

Still, the order to fight came, and Kuroko braced himself instead of charging forward like he had the others. It didn't help any though, the man's powerful punches easily slammed into his small body. Kuroko managed to dodge a few but the man was quick and a few got through.

Kuroko didn't allow any of the pain he was feeling through. He had been trained to not feel pain or at least to never show it. He had once fought with a broken arm and leg so this was nothing.

Instead, he gritted his teeth and tried to jab at the man's pressure points but the man was well trained and avoided them. Kuroko tried to get behind the man instead but the dark haired man grabbed his arm and slammed him to the ground in retaliation.

"I thought this would be a better fight." The man goaded lazily, trying to anger Kuroko which was an impossibly feat. Instead Kuroko got up, ignoring the blood the trickled down his face. The crowd, which had gotten bored from such one sided fighting despite being amused that big men were being defeated by a small boy, were once again cheering.

"Take him down Kuroko." Haizaki snarled angrily and Kuroko huffed as he fought the urge to use his ability. The other man towered over him, his eyes already dulled because he knew, just as Kuroko did, that the fight was over. Had been over before it even begun.

Still, as futile as it was, Kuroko continued to dodge the man's attacks and tried to deliver counterattacks that the man merely blocked. A hand, too quick for Kuroko to dodge, suddenly darted forward and grabbed Kuroko by the neck, lifting the small light boy into the air.

Kuroko struggled to breathe, his legs kicking out but too short to reach anything, his arms instinctively gripping the man's arms. Black spots appeared in his vision and he was about to give up when his eyes met Akashi's over the man's shoulder.

The redhead was looking at him with expectancy, ordering him with his eyes to keep fighting. A feeling that Kuroko never felt with Haizaki welled up. An urge to please.

Kuroko lifted his hands above his head and cupped them together, intertwining his fingers to make a giant fist, before slamming it down as hard as he could against the man's elbow. It didn't break the man's arm like Kuroko had been aiming for but he did drop Kuroko who landed and rolled away, panting heavily.

The man looked at him in amusement and began to walk toward him when Akashi suddenly stood up, grabbing both their attention immediately.

"I have seen enough, Daiki come on out." Akashi ordered and the crowd booed but the bouncer let the man out. Kuroko stumbled to the center of the ring and looked at Haizaki for further orders. The silver haired man looked furious and was looking at Kuroko with traces of betrayal.

"Get out dog." Haizaki ordered and Kuroko was at his side immediately, allowing the collar to be snapped around his neck.

"There's a restaurant I like to frequent nearby. Would you do the honors of gracing me with your presence?" Akashi asked and Haizaki looked like he was about to refuse but a commanding glance had him agreeing.

Kuroko obediently trailed after his Master as they made their way out of the club and down the street. The bodyguards, particularly the blonde one, kept trying to talk to him but he ignored him, causing him to pout childishly.

"Sorry about the whole choking thing." The bodyguard, Daiki Akashi had called him, said but Kuroko ignored him as well although with a bit of confusion. Why would you apologize for something your Master ordered you to do?

They entered a ritzy restaurant and a waiter immediately bowed to Akashi and led them all to a corner booth big enough to fit them all. At Haizaki's order Kuroko immediately sat in the corner of the table with Haizaki beside him and Akashi sat across from him sandwiched between his two bodyguards.

"Please, order anything you want, it's on me." Akashi said as the waiter handed them their menus. Haizaki immediately ordered one of the more expensive foods and Akashi turned to Kuroko. "Will you not be eating?"

"I'll feed him when I get home." Haizaki butted in and Akashi's eyes narrowed almost unnoticeably.

"You really do treat him as a dog." There wasn't any accusation in Akashi's voice but to Kuroko's trained eye he could see traces of disgust. Haizaki however, thought it was a compliment, smirked.

"Of course. He will do anything I say." Haizaki boasted. Akashi nodded interestedly as he poured him wine that the waiter had brought over along with their food that they had ordered.

Everyone except Kuroko, even Akashi's bodyguards, ate quietly but the boy noticed the way Akashi kept refilling Haizaki's glass with wine while having almost none for himself. It wasn't too long before Haizaki's words became slightly slurred and his eyes a little dazed which was no doubt Akashi's intention.

"So when you say he does anything, do you mean in just fighting?" Akashi asked and Haizaki laughed.

"I mean anything! Here look, Kuroko, stab your hand with that knife." Haizaki ordered and without any hesitation Kuroko plucked the knife from the table and plunged it into his hand without even a wince.

The two bodyguards looked shocked, the blonde even gasping loudly, but Akashi showed none of his surprise on his face although there seemed to be a struggle to keep his face impassive.

"Fascinating." Akashi murmured as Haizaki allowed Kuroko to pull the knife out. Blood poured out of Kuroko's hand and it was the blonde who took out a roll of bandages and gingerly bandaged the wound up. "Where did you get him?"

"I knew his whore of a mom who owed me money. I killed her and I would have killed him too if I hadn't noticed his lack of presence. He was a tiny little baby at the time so I trained him." Haizaki said, the strong alcohol loosening his lips. Akashi looked at Kuroko to see if he would have a reaction to his mom's death but Kuroko's face remained apathetic.

"Completely fascinating." Akashi commented and Haizaki leaned forward with a disgusting greedy look on his face.

"If you're so interested I could lend him to you for a night or two. He's very _well-trained." _ This time Akashi couldn't hide the disgust from his face but Haizaki was too drunk to take notice. Kuroko idly wondered what he would do if he realized just how much he was annoying such a dangerous man. Was his Master so stupid that he didn't realize how strong the aura was around Akashi?

Akashi was not like any man Kuroko had met before. He held himself straight with his held high with pride and he looked down on everyone around him, demanding their respect. His eyes held so much power, especially his golden eye, they stared into you as if they could read your thoughts and made you feel almost naked and vulnerable. This was how a Master should be.

_Dangerous thoughts dangerous thoughts._

"That is quite alright, although he is pleasing to the eye, that is not where my interest lies in him." Akashi said politely and Haizaki guffawed as he sat back.

"You're loss."

"I really must be going Shougo, but tonight truly has been a pleasure. "Akashi said as he and his bodyguards slid out of the booth. His eyes slid to Kuroko and the boy knew this was not the last time they would meet. The redhead was plotting something.

"See ya!" Haizaki said lazily with a wave and the trio disappeared out of the restaurant.

When Kuroko and Haizaki arrived home, the silver haired man turned around and backhanded Kuroko who did nothing to block it even though he saw it. Haizaki snarled as he kicked Kuroko in the stomach and then gripped his blue locks painfully.

"You little traitor whore!" Haizaki yelled as he threw Kuroko across the room. Kuroko stayed on the ground until Haizaki ordered him to stand back up. "I saw how you looked at that redheaded asshole! Your eyes only belong to me!"

Haizaki beat him up some more and Kuroko mentally retreated. He considered the weak pathetic man in front of him with calculating eyes that pissed Haizaki off more. Eventually, due to the large amounts of alcohol in his body, Haizaki got tired and threw Kuroko into his cage.

"No food until I deem your punishment over." Haizaki said as he spat at Kuroko.


	4. Chapter 4

Unbeta'd

* * *

><p>Akashi sat at his desk, two folders sitting in front of him, one with a single piece of paper in it and the other completely stuffed. Akashi took the smaller folder the words in large block letters spelling out Kuroko Tetsuya's name.<p>

**Birth name: Kuroko Tetsuya**

**Birthday: January 31, 1998**

**Birth Mother: Kuroko Tetsuna**

**Birth Father: Unknown**

**Birth Place: Japan**

**Reported missing April 21, 2003. Kuroko Tetsuna was found in her apartment with a bullet to her head and Kuroko Tetsuya wasn't anywhere to be found. No more additional information is found on Kuroko Tetsuya according to the government. **

**Unofficially he is known as a phantom that works for Haizaki but is known as a mere rumor for no one has lived to see him. Whenever someone fails to repay their debt to Haizaki they are killed no matter what the situation is and that is logically due to Kuroko Tetsuya. **

Akashi hummed slightly as he put the folder down beside him before going to the folder labeled Shougo Haizaki. He didn't read everything in the folder, that would take him hours and he simply didn't have the time, but what he managed to skim was enough to satisfy his idle curiosity.

Haizaki grew up in the slums and through violence became a slumlord, making money in any way possible. He dabbled in everything; drugs, pimping prostitutes, loaning money with high interest, exporting illegal goods, he did it all.

Of course, he only truly grew in power when he acquired a weapon capable of killing all his rivals. In under a week, anyone who was a threat to him was dead with no evidence as to who did it. The police obviously suspected Haizaki but there was no proof so they had to let him go.

Obviously, the culprit was Kuroko Tetsuya.

"Someone as weak and pitiful as him does not deserve someone like Tetsuya." Akashi commented as he took a sip of wine and leaned back into his chair in thought.

He detested dogs and it aggravated him for someone as powerful as Kuroko to be lowered to their status. Haizaki had broken Kuroko when he should have cultivated his talents. Kuroko was a broken doll. No, Haizaki did not deserve someone like Kuroko.

So the obvious solution was to take Kuroko from Haizaki and fix him.

"How's your arm?" Akashi suddenly asked Aomine who was lounging on the couch across the room. His bodyguard looked at him in surprise before gingerly poking his elbow that Kuroko had wounded in the cage.

"Ah, it's fine. He hit my pressure point so it hurts like a bitch but I can still use it." Aomine said and Akashi's eyes narrowed, not in concern but in fascination, as he saw the large purple bruise marring Aomine's dark skin.

"Such an interesting person." Akashi murmured and Aomine gave him a knowing look.

"Not gonna replace me or Kise are ya?"

"Of course not. He will have a different job than bodyguard." Akashi said dismissively as he folded his hands in front of him and rested his chin on them thoughtfully.

"Not like you to be so interested in someone." Aomine commented offhandedly as he took out his gun to clean. Akashi smirked to himself, his eyes glinting dangerously.

When he first saw Kuroko something had stirred inside him and it only grew when Kuroko had fought in the cage. The grace Kuroko possessed when fighting, like a dance, his body twisting and turning lithely, showing off strength that he hid with a mask of frailty. Those clear azure eyes that were cold and calculating, always seeking the enemy's weaknesses, showing not a hint of fear even when faced with someone twice his size. Even when he was faced against Aomine with no way to win his eyes never showed fear.

It was simply mesmerizing in a dark beautiful way and Haizaki spat in the face of that by making him wear a collar that reduced him into a mindless doll, hiding away a prize that Haizaki did not realize he had.

With a sharp click of his tongue Akashi took his phone out and began to call some of his contacts.

* * *

><p>Haizaki was angry.<p>

Kuroko idly watched Haizaki pace across the room in irritation, grey eyes flashing and his mouth pulled into a sneer, while yelling on the phone. Apparently some of his contacts had decided to stop doing business with him and the most popular prostitutes who worked for Haizaki had run away which meant Haizaki was losing a lot of money.

Haizaki's eyes glinted angrily as he slammed the phone down furiously and he tapped his fingers anxiously against his desk as he tried to think his way out of the situation. His eyes landed on Kuroko who was staring at him blankly when usually he would just stare forward at nothing in particular.

"Oi! You've been awfully lively lately!" Haizaki snarled as he kicked the cage and Kuroko obediently shifted his gaze forward but the damage had already been done. "Bite your hand until it bleeds."

Kuroko immediately sank his teeth into his flesh, gnawing on it slightly, until blood filled his mouth. The red liquid dripped down his throat and dribbled down his chin but his eyes remained impassive. Haizaki chuckled in sadistic satisfaction, feeling some of the tension drain out of him.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and before Haizaki could answer, it swung open and Akashi entered the room while his two bodyguards stood outside waiting.

"What are you doing here?" Haizaki snarled but then reigned in his anger when he remembered who he was dealing with. He eyed Kuroko again in his locked cage, bleeding hand still in his mouth like dog with a bone.

Akashi saw Kuroko and his eyes flashed with disgust before he smoothed his face into an emotionless mask.

"I have another proposition for you." Akashi said diplomatically and Haizaki looked at him hopefully.

"More cage fighting?"

"No," Akashi said as he stepped closer to Kuroko who carefully avoided looking at him after his punishment the night before. "I wish to buy Tetsuya."

"Ah, for how many nights?" Haizaki asked with a greasy sneer and Akashi slowly shook his head.

"You misunderstand me, I wish to buy him permanently." There was a hushed silence as tension rose in the air and a dangerous glint appeared in Kuroko's eyes before disappearing before it could be seen.

"He isn't for sale." Haizaki snarled. "He is _my_ pet."

"I will pay you proper compensation of course." Akashi said as if Haizaki hadn't said anything and the silver haired man opened his mouth to rebuke but Akashi swiftly cut him off. "I should say…10 grand per month in any currency you wish. Does that seem proficient?"

Haizaki shut his mouth hard enough for his teeth to make a clicking sound and Akashi waited for an answer as Haizaki stared at him incredulously, his eyes bulging like a fish. He opened his mouth then closed it again as his common sense warred with his greed.

"I'm not sure he'd listen to you." Haizaki finally said and Akashi smirked at him softly.

"Tetsuya, drop your hand." Akashi said in a sharp commanding tone that demanded to be obeyed and against his will and years of being trained to only listen to Haizaki, Kuroko opened his mouth and his hand slid out and plopped on the ground. Kuroko allowed himself to blink, although none of the surprise he felt showed on his face and Akashi gave him a pleased look.

"I don't think obedience will be a problem." Akashi said with a hint of smugness and Haizaki hid a snarl as he glared at Kuroko with betrayal and fury.

"Fine, you can have him. I have no need for a disloyal dog." Haizaki snarled as he threw the key to Akashi who took his time sauntering to the cage and unlocking it, not wanting to seem excited although he felt like a kid getting a new toy.

"Do you wish to come home with me?" Akashi asked as he looked down at Kuroko who did not respond and a frown marred Akashi's face.

"He only listens to commands." Haizaki said helpfully, impatient for them to get the hell out of his office so he could fume in peace. Akashi sighed and looked at Kuroko like he was a disobedient child.

"Follow me." Akashi said and Kuroko immediately stood up and followed the redhead out of the office, making sure to stay exactly one foot behind him. As they left the office, Aomine and Kise walked so they sandwiched Kuroko, as if to keep him out of sight which puzzled Kuroko.

They got into a black limo with Akashi on one side between his bodyguards and Kuroko on the other side, staring forward but wanting to look at his new Master.

New Master. It filled him with a bit of guilty glee. This man was a man worth serving, he was a better man than Haizaki in every single way. Kuroko could sense it like an animal could sense which was more dangerous, a lion or a Chihuahua. He felt an urge to please his new master like servant would want to please his King.

As the driver drove off, Akashi stared at Kuroko intently before sliding his gaze to the collar and with just a hint of displeasure he leaned over and snapped the collar off. Immediately Kuroko shifted into a more battle ready position and he looked at Akashi for orders but the redhead merely dropped the collar onto the ground with utter disdain.

"I don't think you have been formally introduced. This is Aomine Daiki and Kise Ryouta." Akashi said as he gestured to his bodyguards in turn, each greeting him although he didn't reply. The redhead hummed as he studied Kuroko intently.

"I do not like dogs." Akashi finally said. "I will make this clear to you now, I do not want you as a pet. Do you understand?"

"No." Kuroko replied instantly with blunt honesty that usually earned him a slap or a punch. Instead Akashi looked at him with amusement.

"I want you as…A companion I suppose. You will be by my side everyday unless I order otherwise and you will protect me when my bodyguards are unable. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Kuroko answered after a moment of consideration. Dogs could be considered as companions as well so he was still a dog, just a dog with a different job.

"I don't think you do but we will work on that on a later date." Akashi said with a bit of amusement and Kuroko nodded sharply, still on edge ready to fight. "How did Shougo teach you to fight?"

"He had teachers teach me then forced me to fight and kill or be killed." Kuroko said and Aomine and Kise shared twin looks of surprise.

"At what age?" Kuroko hesitated and Akashi revised his question. "How many years ago did you first kill?"

"Approximately nine years ago." Kuroko said after careful consideration as his sense of time wasn't very reliable.

"That would mean that you killed someone when you were merely six years old." Akashi said with a bit of morbid admiration.

"That's horrible." Kise whispered with shocked filled eyes and Kuroko tilted his head. What was so shocking about it? Were they not trained the same way?

"Are you unable to use your ability with the collar on?" Akashi asked as he kicked the collar with his foot and Kuroko shook his head.

"I am able but for some reason it is harder with it on." Kuroko replied and Akashi nodded thoughtfully before leaning back.

"You will keep the collar off from now on. When I get the chance I am burning it." Akashi said and Kuroko nodded sharply although he felt trepidation.

Kuroko nearly fidgeted with restlessness as his body urged him to fight after years of being conditioned too when his collar was taken off. Still he understood something quite well; New Master, new rules.

The limo stopped in front of a grand traditional two story Japanese house with a large sprawling front yard with assorted well-kept trees and bushes. Off to the side was a large lake filled with colorful koi and a wooden bridge that went across it.

Kuroko followed Akashi down the stone path that led to the house, subtly looking around in awe, barely able to believe that this would be where he was staying. They passed two guards and entered the house, revealing hallways with dark clean wooden floors and rice paper sliding doors.

Kuroko waited at the genkan as Akashi and his bodyguards took off their shoes, as he didn't have his own to take off, before he followed Akashi down some hallways. He took notice on how all the hallways looked identical, whether intentional or not, and knew that one could easily get lost.

Akashi suddenly stopped in front of a room and turned to his attention to Aomine and Kise.

"I will be retiring for the day, you two are dismissed." Akashi said and the two bowed before leaving the hallway swiftly. Akashi slid open the door to reveal a room with tatami flooring and a wooden round table in the middle with four pillows on each side.

Akashi sat on a pillow and gestured for Kuroko to do the same although he didn't do so until Akashi verbally asked him to. A few minutes passed before a maid entered the room with a teapot and two cups. She laid out the cups and poured them with green tea before bowing and leaving.

"I mentioned that I wish for you to be a companion to me." Akashi started as he took a sip from his cup. "That entails for you to join my gang, Teiko. Are you familiar with it?"

"Yes." Kuroko said simply. He had overheard Haizaki ranting and raving about how powerful the gang was and how it dominated most of Japan. The leader, Akashi, owned many businesses and popular clubs and controlled most of the drug dealings that went on in his territory which got in Haizaki's way.

"Good, then do you have any misgivings on joining?"

"No." Kuroko replied after a pause, surprised that he was being asked. Why ask him that when he could just order him to join? This new Master was very strange.

"I don't have many rules. While I am here, you may wonder about on your own as long as you do not leave the premises. You will have your own room which is beside mine and I expect you to keep it clean. You will accompany me wherever I go unless ordered to stay here. You will eat your meals with me, same time every day. Do you have any problems with any of this?"

"No." Again, why ask if there were problems? Were these not orders?

"Tomorrow, I will mark you with the Teiko tattoo then and you will be officially in my gang." Akashi said as he sipped his tea again, his eyes back to studying Kuroko carefully. "Do you enjoy fighting?"

"I do not understand." Kuroko said his eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"What is there to not understand?" Akashi asked.

"…I fight when Master tells me to fight." Kuroko replied but had the distinct feeling that was the wrong answer and Akashi's sigh confirmed it.

"If you had a choice to fight or not fight, what would you choose?" Akashi tried.

"I would choose what my Master chooses." Kuroko answered and was rewarded with another sigh, this one laced with traces of exasperation.

"He truly has broken you and it's going to take a lot of work to fix you, isn't it?" Akashi surmised thoughtfully. "I do not want a mindless puppet and if I could fix you, you would be the ultimate weapon."

Akashi gracefully leaned over and cupped Kuroko's jaw with gentle fingers. He looked into Kuroko's eyes as if searching for something and Kuroko felt something stir inside him but he did not know enough emotions to know what it was.

Whatever Akashi was looking for though, he found, because he released his jaw and sat back down with a pleased smirk. Akashi finished his tea slowly, thoughts and plotting churning in his head, before he stood up.

"I will show you to your room." Akashi said and Kuroko dutifully followed him out of the room and down a couple of hallways before entering another room.

This room, while only moderately sized to most, was huge in Kuroko's eyes. It had a tatami floor like the other room, a simple futon with a warm blanket and pillow, a small wooden desk in the corner and a door that led to a small closet. There was a door opposite of the one he had just entered that was framed by two windows showing the outside.

"It is getting late. I suggest you retire for the night and I will see you in the morning." Akashi said before he left the room, sliding the door closed behind him.

Kuroko slowly walked around the room in disbelief, too used to living in a cage to be able to accept such a large room for himself. He eyed the futon and the idea of sleeping on it for some reason made it uncomfortable. Dogs slept in cages didn't they?

Kuroko bit his lip and shifted from foot to foot nervously. His Master wanted him to sleep but he was unwilling to sleep on the futon. What to do, what to do?

Kuroko's eyes fell on the closet and he opened it, nodding in satisfaction. He allowed himself to take the blanket from the futon and stepped into the closet. He closed the door behind him, leaving everything pitch black, and wrapped himself in the blanket, marveling at the warmth it gave him. The space was big enough for him to completely lie down if he curled up loosely unlike his cage where he had to sleep sitting up.

Kuroko yawned and closed his eyes, falling asleep as red haunted his dreams.


	5. Chapter 5

Kuroko's internal clock, which woke him up before the sun was fully in the sky every day, had him sitting up and looking around the dark closet in mild confusion before he remembered where he was. He opened the door to the closet and slowly walked out, making sure no one was around.

He noticed how his hand felt a little odd and when he looked he saw that it was covered from dried blood from the bite wound he had given himself yesterday. He had managed to hide the blood from Akashi yesterday by hiding it in the sleeve of his clothes.

Seeing no bathroom connected to his room, Kuroko instead wet his sleeve with his saliva and wiped the blood off, the dark material of his clothes hiding any evidence. Soon all traces of blood were gone revealing a scabbed bite wound. Kuroko slowly went to the middle of the room and sat down to wait for Akashi to pick him up.

Although, after an hour of simply sitting, Kuroko got a little bold. Hesitantly, Kuroko walked over to the door that led outside and opened it, revealing the side of the house where there were sakura trees that snowed soft pink petals on the ground.

Slowly and with the use of his ability, Kuroko stepped out on the little wooden porch that wrapped around the house and sat down. He could see guards at each corner of the house as well as a couple hidden behind the sakura trees, nearly completely hidden from sight.

Kuroko didn't pay them any attention, instead he chose to look up and watch the mesmerizing view of the petals falling to the ground while the sky above got brighter and brighter. This was the first time he had gotten to see such a serene view. The world outside his cage sure was beautiful.

Birds chirped and flew about and a couple actually flew down beside Kuroko who blinked and stayed completely still, a little surprised that they saw him. One of them was particularly brave and after a few minutes of studying him with a tilted head it hopped over and jumped onto his leg.

The bird chirped and slowly Kuroko brought his finger in front of it and the bird jumped on the appendage. The boy brought the bird close to his face to examine it, the first time seeing an animal of any sorts so close.

The bird chirped and Kuroko quietly tried to duplicate the noise but it came out of more of a shrill whistle that scared the guards than a chirp. The bird chirped some more, as if to encourage him, but Kuroko couldn't duplicate the sound no matter how many times he tried.

Suddenly there was a soft knock on his door and with a swift movement that had all the bird flying away, Kuroko entered his room and closed the door behind him before he answered the other door.

"Good morning, Tetsuya." Akashi greeted. Today he had chosen to don a beautiful and no doubt expensive deep red kimono with an extravagant dragon design. Kuroko felt that it suited Akashi more than the suite.

"Good morning, Master." Kuroko said with a bit of hesitancy, not sure if the greeting was meant to elicit a reply.

"Please, call me Akashi or Seijuro." The redhead said with a frown.

"Yes, Akashi-sama."

"Something else we will need to work on." Akashi said mostly to himself with pursed lips. "Follow me."

Kuroko obediently followed the redhead through the house until they reached the room with only a table they had been in the day before except this time there was freshly made food laid out. After being ordered to, Kuroko sat down and studied the food in front of him.

There was a bowl of fluffy white rice, miso soup with pieces of tofu at the bottom and some dried fish in front of him with Akashi having the same thing as well. Kuroko's stomach grumbled softly at the sight and as the wonderful aroma filled his nose.

"Eat." Akashi ordered and Kuroko fought the surprise from showing in his eyes although he had a sneaking suspicion that the redhead saw it. He was really allowed to eat this?

Kuroko slowly picked up his chopsticks and began to nibble at his food that was the most delicious meal he ever had. Then again, it was rare for him to have a full meal at all, Haizaki had usually only given him scraps of leftovers.

"I wasn't sure what you liked to eat so I asked my chef, Atsushi, to just make a traditional breakfast." Akashi said conversationally. "What foods do you like?"

"I do not understand." Kuroko said softly and Akashi frowned.

"What do you not understand?" Kuroko's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he tried to figure out what Akashi meant. Food was food, what was there to enjoy? You ate what was in front of you so where did 'like' come into it?

"I…have no food I like." Kuroko finally said and Akashi looked at him with scrutiny.

"Well, I'll have you try different food until you find something you like." Akashi said as he went back to eating.

In the end, due to his small stomach, Kuroko was unable to finish all the food which had Akashi looking at him and promising to increase his appetite because it wasn't healthy to eat so little. His new Master had weird priorities.

"I will now mark you with Teiko's tattoo. Follow me." Once again, Akashi led Kuroko out of the room and led him to a different room that smelled like ink. There was a futon in the middle of the room with only a pillow and beside it was a small table with a weird machine with a needle sticking out, a pot of ink, two pieces of cloth and a small brown bottle.

"Strip." Akashi ordered as he sat down beside the futon. Without a hint of shame or modesty, Kuroko took off his black dirty clothes and Akashi studied him carefully.

There was the scar around Kuroko's neck from the collar, covered with purple bruising from Aomine choking him which would be healed in a few days. His pale torso was thin with his ribs protruding a little and was littered with various scars which were covered with bruises from the cage fight. One hand had a semi-circle of cuts that had scabbed over from when Haizaki had him bite his hand and the other was still wrapped with Kise's bandage from where he had stabbed himself. A long thin scar wrapped around one of his upper thighs and traveled down to his knee.

"Lie down here." Kuroko laid down on the futon, face down upon Akashi's instruction, revealing his back which had more scars although these looked more like whip marks than the randomly placed scars on his front. Akashi gently stroked Kuroko's back, the boy fighting back a shiver, and felt the rough uneven skin under his hand.

His hand traveled downwards more, rising and falling as it went over Kuroko's rear, and slid down Kuroko's scarred thigh before retracing back to Kuroko's back. The boy under him shivered, unacquainted with touch that didn't mean to hurt him.

"I will be tattooing right here." Akashi informed Kuroko as he rubbed the nap of Kuroko's neck with a cloth he soaked in cleaning alcohol that was in the small bottle. Luckily there were no scars in the area so tattooing would be easy.

With precise movements, Akashi pressed the needle into Kuroko's skin and with a loud buzzing noise that grated harshly against Kuroko's ears, the needle began to rapidly dig into his sensitive skin.

_Being attacked. Hurt. Defend. _

Kuroko clenched his teeth and fought to keep his muscles relaxed even though his instincts roared at him to defend himself. It would have been easier to hold back if he had his collar on but without it his fighting urges were strong. Suddenly Akashi began speaking to him as if he sensed his internal struggle and it became easier to relax with the distraction.

"Usually I have someone else tattoo the members but I wanted to do yours especially." Akashi informed him as he paused and wiped the spotted blood that welled up from the needle before resuming. "Does it hurt?"

"No." Was Kuroko's automated response and Akashi shook his head wryly.

"Lying will not be tolerated especially if it comes to your health. I ask again, does it hurt?" Akashi asked with a sharp commanding tone that Kuroko could never disobey.

"Yes." Kuroko said truthfully and a hand ran through his hair in silent praise.

"Good."

Unsure if Akashi meant good that it hurt or good that he told the truth, Kuroko remained quiet and endured the pain. It wasn't too bad as he definitely had worse but it was a very odd sensation having the needle drill through his skin.

Since the tattoo wasn't very big, Akashi was done within the hour and the Japanese characters for Teiko were permanently etched into Kuroko's alabaster skin. His fingers trailed over the tattoo with pride with a possessive smirk on his face. He leaned over and gently pressed his lips against the marked skin, his mark, and smirked when he felt Kuroko tremble.

"Now, you are truly mine." Akashi said, his soft lips moving against Kuroko's skin, and the boy bit his lip as something, that odd warm feeling, stirred in him.

Akashi's lips lingered lightly on his skin before he abruptly stood up and walked out of the room. Without any orders, Kuroko continued to lie down, using the time to catch his bearings, and a few minutes later Akashi returned with a small box and a bundle of clothes.

The redhead opened the box and efficiently bandaged the tattoo for hygienic reasons although he was reluctant to cover it up at all but he couldn't risk infection.

"Stand up." Akashi ordered softly and handed Kuroko the bundle of clothes. "Put those on."

Kuroko slid on a light, nearly white, blue oriental styled sleeveless shirt. It was made of light flexible material that hugged his torso like a second skin and with a few experimental movements, Kuroko could tell he would be able to easily fight in it. The collar of the shirt was tight around his neck, vaguely reminding him of his black collar, which calmed him a little. It also had a diamond shaped hole on the back which would show off his tattoo once it was uncovered.

The pants that Akashi gave him were the same color and were slightly baggy so it flowed around him, almost looking like a dress, but not overly so that it would hinder him in a fight. They fit tightly around his waist and went all the way down to his feet.

"How is it?" Akashi asked as he slowly looked up and down Kuroko's body in a way that if the boy had any sense of modesty he would have felt embarrassed.

"They fit well." Kuroko replied and Akashi nodded approvingly.

"Do you prefer to wear shoes? I see that you never wore them even at the club."

"It's easier to fight without shoes." Kuroko said. He liked to feel the vibration of feet running on the floor since it allowed him to sense if someone was running up behind him or if something were to happen to his eye sight he would have another way to figure out where the enemy was.

"Well then, let's go see how well you fight with your new clothes, shall we?" Akashi said with a sly smirk.

A few of hours in Akashi's limo later, Kuroko found himself in front of a giant office building with Akashi leading the way inside with Aomine in front of everyone and Kise just behind Kuroko. They entered the crowded building, Akashi looking like he owned the place and Kuroko instinctively lowering his lack of presence so he wasn't quite invisible but hard to see and they made their way to the elevator.

"Tetsuya, you are to protect me. Daiki and Ryouta, you will wait outside and you are not to come in the room or let anyone leave or enter." Akashi ordered and Kuroko nodded sharply and Aomine and Kise also agreed but with a little trepidation as they eyed Kuroko, sizing him up to see if he was good enough to leave him to protect their boss.

The elevator reached the top floor and they smoothly walked to a large office door, people in black suites lining the hallways leading up to it. Akashi knocked loudly on the door and entered with Kuroko behind him while Aomine and Kise stood outside as the door closed behind the duo.

Kuroko found himself in a large office lined with five more men in black. A young man with slicked back brown hair sat behind the desk, sitting in his chair straight and looked at them with a stern business-like face but Kuroko could see hints of fear in his black eyes.

"Hello Narumi Daisuke. A pleasure to meet you." Akashi greeted as he sat down in one of the chairs in front of the man's desk with Kuroko sitting down in the chair beside him. Kuroko could smell nervousness pouring out of the man's pores and he leaned forward and placed weight on the balls of his feet.

"Akashi Seijuro, an honor to meet you in person. Who is this lovely person beside you?" The man said as he gestured to Kuroko.

"This is Kuroko Tetsuya, my new companion of sorts." Akashi said and the man leered.

"I would have thought you would choose a big breasted woman for a companion but he does have girlish features." The man said as he looked over Kuroko appraisingly, not noticing how Akashi's eye twitched ever so slightly. "So what business do you have with me?"

"It has come to my attention that you have created a gang named Josei, on my own territory may I add, with the intent to try to take me down." The fear that was dripping off the men increased tenfold and Kuroko narrowed his eyes when he saw Narumi slide his hand in his pocket.

"What do you plan to do about it?" Narumi asked with a twisted scowl and Akashi smiled at him good-naturedly.

"Why, I'll either destroy or kill you if you don't disband of course." Akashi said with a light tone and the tension in the room spiked and the men in black all reached into their pockets.

"I see…Well then I'll just have to kill you first!" The man threw a small knife at Akashi's head. With lightning speed, Kuroko plucked the knife in the air and threw it at the man closest to him that had been drawing a gun.

All hell broke loose.

Kuroko immediately used his ability to turn invisible and threw his chair at a man aiming a gun at Akashi before attacking. He had to be faster than usual since he was not alone and he had to protect Akashi who didn't even bother to take cover and just sat in his chair. In fact he leaned back, as if relaxing, and crossed his ankles and laced his hands together in his lap, a smug smirk on his face.

Kuroko grabbed the man's hands from behind, using his body as a shield, and manipulated him with strong hands to quickly shoot two men in the head before he was able to elbow Kuroko in the stomach. With a small unnoticeable grunt Kuroko backed off and released the man's hands and the man swung around and pointed the gun at Kuroko.

He was too close though and Kuroko was able to duck to the side to dodge a bullet and he grabbed the hand holding the gun and twisted it until he heard a satisfying crack. He saw the other three remaining men point their gun on him and he pushed the man in front of him and held him up so all the bullets hit him instead.

The man choked, blood dribbling down his chin, his face frozen with disbelief and Kuroko softly apologized to him before using his gun to shoot the three men in the head with deadly accuracy.

Kuroko allowed the man he had been holding up to drop to the ground and he let the gun fall from his hands with disdain. He hated guns. It was how weak men fought instead of using their own strength.

"Your men weren't very bright. They tried to kill Tetsuya here instead of aiming at me." Akashi commented with his nose wrinkled slightly with derision as Kuroko glided to his side. Narumi gaped, his mouth opening and closing as he stared at the blood pooling on his expensive carpeted floor.

"I'll disband." He finally said hoarsely and Akashi clicked his tongue sharply.

"You think you'll live after trying to kill me?" Akashi tilted his head with a smile. "Cute."

When Narumi pulled out another knife, the man too cocky to have his own gun, Kuroko flew over the desk, easily plucking the blade out of the man's startled hands. With a questioning look at Akashi who gave him a nod, Kuroko slit the man's throat, blood spurting out and covering Kuroko's clothes with blood.

"How were the new clothes?" Akashi asked over the choking sound Narumi was making. Kuroko buried the blade into the man's head, efficiently silencing him, before turning to Akashi.

"I did not fully test them." Kuroko replied and Akashi nodded.

"Well, there will be more opportunities to do so." Akashi said thoughtfully as he walked out of the office and into the hallway that was littered with more dead bodies courtesy of Kise and Aomine. "Daiki, please give Tetsuya your jacket."

Aomine slid the large jacket he had been wearing over his uniform that was similar to Kuroko's and he passed it to the smaller boy. The jacket was large and went all the way to his knees so it effectively hid the blood that covered him.

"Let's get going. Good job everyone." Akashi said and Kuroko felt a bit of pride for pleasing his Master.


	6. Chapter 6

Unbeta'd

* * *

><p>Kuroko laid quietly beside Akashi, his head resting on the redhead's thigh, who was by a small wooden desk doing paperwork full of numbers that Kuroko couldn't even begin to try to understand, a hand running through his hair every so often.<p>

They had gone home after leaving Narumi's business building and after changing into clean clothes, apparently he had multiple uniforms in his closet now, Akashi had gone to his home office to do paperwork. Not knowing what else to do, Kuroko went with him.

"Did Shougo ever let you do anything? Or did he just make you stay in the cage until he needed you?" Akashi asked suddenly and Kuroko shifted his head to look up at Akashi who was looking down at him with curious eyes.

"I stayed in the cage." Kuroko replied monotonously and Akashi hummed.

"Did you like the cage?" Back to that liking business again.

"I did what Master told me to do." Kuroko replied and felt, perhaps for the first time in years, frustration bubble up in him when Akashi sighed in disappointment. He wanted to please Akashi but he couldn't understand what he wanted.

"If you had a choice, would you go back to the cage? If no orders were given and you had to choose on your own, would you choose the cage, or a room?" Akashi said slowly, as if he were talking to a child.

Kuroko paused as he thought it out. His cage was where he belonged and he never had a choice about it before. But did he…_like_… the cage? If he had permission to have a preference then…

"I…" Kuroko hesitated and Akashi looked at him with encouraging eyes. "If no orders were given then I would choose not to go into the cage."

Kuroko was rewarded with a pat on the head and a soft, nearly invisible, smile instead of the punishment he was half expecting.

"You know, Tetsuya, there will be times when orders can't be given and you'll have to think for yourself." Akashi said. "You've lived a life where you've only followed orders but that's in the past now. Now I want you to try thinking on your own as well. Figuring out what you like. Figuring out what you don't."

"I don't understand." Kuroko replied and Akashi sighed again but this one had traces of sadness.

"When you want something tell me. If you don't like something then I want you to tell me. If you're hurt I want you to tell me. You may think of this as an order if it makes it easier." Akashi said and Kuroko nodded sharply although he felt that he didn't fully understand the order.

His new Master was weird.

He almost wished that he was back with Haizaki, at least that man was predictable and Kuroko knew what was expected of him. He didn't know what Akashi wanted from him and that meant room for failure.

"Between Shougo and me, who do you prefer to be with?" Akashi asked, as if reading his thoughts, breaking Kuroko from his reverie.

"Akashi-sama." Kuroko said truthfully without any hesitation, after all, he had known it even before Akashi became his Master.

Akashi ruffled his hair before going back to his paperwork. Kuroko wasn't sure but it looked like Akashi was pleased.

* * *

><p>Kuroko stepped around lightly, slightly using his ability, as he snuck around Akashi's home like an intruder. The redhead had chosen to go to his office building for further work and had left Kuroko at home to get better acquainted with his surroundings.<p>

Even though it was what Akashi wanted, it felt so weird to be allowed to wander about unsupervised without a real goal except to explore. There were so many hallways with identical sliding doors which Kuroko allowed himself to poke his head into.

Most of them were empty unused rooms on the bottom floor that were regularly maintained by how clean the tatami flooring was. Then near the back of the house was a large library with multiple shelves of books. In the back of the library was an unlit fireplace with plush red chairs in front of it.

Kuroko lingered in the library for a few minutes, running his hands down the spines of books in wonder, before leaving when a man with green hair and eyes entered, muttering under his breath about lucky items.

He then decided to check upstairs which turned out to be where the maids and servants roomed. The floor was bustling with them doing daily chores to maintain the house while Akashi was away. Kuroko wandered around for a bit more until he found himself in a bustling kitchen.

Since it wasn't mealtime, most of the chefs were running around preparing ingredients and baking desserts. They seemed to all report to a large man with long limbs and purple hair mostly hidden with a large chef hat who had a bit of a lazy atmosphere but obviously took his job seriously.

A chef nearly ran into Kuroko so the boy decided to move on before an accident occurred. He went back downstairs and stepped out back. The backyard was huge as well, even bigger than front and with guards scattered around.

There was a huge vegetable garden that gardeners were currently tending to while maids with wicker baskets carried the ripe vegetables to the kitchen. Kuroko was about to go back into the house when he noticed a rather large building with an odd shouting noise coming from it.

Giving in to his curiosity, after all Akashi hadn't restricted him from anywhere, Kuroko cautiously looked in and blinked.

Inside were rows of people doing basic martial arts all wearing matching robes with various colored belts. A man with dark hair wearing a uniform with a black belt wondered through the throngs of people, watching them with stern black eyes with an air of authority, obviously the leader of some sorts.

Kuroko curiously wondered inside a bit and froze when the man suddenly looked at him even though he was using his ability to not be seen. The black eyes weren't focused on him like Akashi's always were, they wavered like they had to work to stay on him, but he saw him nonetheless.

"Who are you?" The man asked with a strict but not unkind tone.

"Kuroko Tetsuya." He replied softly, unsure of what to do in this situation. The man's eyes widened and he studied Kuroko.

"I am Nijimura." The man introduced. "Akashi has told me about you but I did not expect to meet you so soon. How are you finding your way around the house?"

"Well." Kuroko replied as he shifted his feet uncomfortably as he looked at all the people fighting, his own body wanting to do the same as it was still adjusting to not fighting without the collar on.

"This is the fighting dojo where I teach new gang members and guards how to fight. My Father was the teacher originally, he even taught Akashi how to fight, but since he retired I took his place." Nijimura explained when he saw Kuroko look around warily. "I heard that you're a good fighter, is that true?"

"I cannot say." Kuroko replied and he saw Nijimura silently appraising him with his eyes.

"Why don't you fight me? Just to see where you stand." Nijimura suggested and Kuroko nodded in agreement, pulled in by the thought of fighting the son of the person who taught Akashi how to fight.

Minutes later, they stood in the middle of the room, the students surrounding them while silently appraising Kuroko who had stopped using his ability altogether, wondering what a little boy was doing fighting their teacher.

Nijimura shifted into a fighting stance and with quick movements he dashed toward Kuroko who caught the leg that was aimed at his midsection and tried to yank it so Nijimura lost his balance but the man used the momentum to use his other leg to kick Kuroko in the head.

Kuroko dropped the leg and stumbled slightly before catching his balance quickly just in time to block a punch. Nijimura was a quick on his feet which were always moving never staying in one spot for more than a second. He used quick kicks more than he punched and he would keep trying to swoop down and kick out in attempts to knock Kuroko's feet from under him.

Finally, when he was about to do it again, Kuroko jumped in the air and landed with precision right on Nijimura's knee. With a small fluid turn, Kuroko grinded his foot and raised his leg, kicking Nijimura's shoulder, opting against kicking the head since he didn't want to severely injure him.

Nijimura fell sideways and Kuroko jumped away, hoping a bit to put some distance between them. Nijimura experimentally stood up, trying to put weight on his leg which buckled slightly in pain, while holding the shoulder Kuroko had kicked. Nothing would be permanent but he would be sore for a couple of days at least.

The man didn't look at all angry, in fact he looked grudgingly impressed, and he went back to a fighting position. Pushing off with his good leg, Nijimura dashed toward Kuroko, raising his fists as if to punch him and instead slamming his injured leg into Kuroko's stomach when he raised his hands to block.

Kuroko grunted but managed to stay on his feet and not buckle, however he was unable to recover quick enough to avoid the leg that knocked him off his feet. Kuroko tried to get on his feet as quick as he could but Nijimura got on top of him, straddling him, and effectively pinning him to the ground with a hand on his neck and hands pinned with the other.

Nijimura held him there for a few seconds, making it clear to all who had won, before he got off and helped Kuroko to his feet.

"Thank you for the fight." Nijimura said and Kuroko nodded sharply, not particularly surprised he had lost.

It was inevitable. Nijimura had been trained his entire life in martial arts so he had the upper hand over Kuroko who had only been trained for a few years so he was good enough to win against people who didn't know how to fight without using brute force. His whole fighting style was built on fighting people who were bigger than him. Also with his ability, Haizaki hadn't seen much use in building his fighting skills.

After leaving Nijimura to teach his students, Kuroko wandered off to the front yard to the lake he had seen earlier. With childlike fascination, Kuroko stepped onto the bridge and stuck his feet into the lake, watching as the koi swam into him and began sucking his toes, making him squirm slightly at the odd sensation.

The sun began to set and Kuroko watched his first sunset. The sun sank in the sky which slowly began to change hues, colors like orange and pink painting the clouds, before turning into dark blue which melted into black as the sun completely disappeared.

"The sunset is even better at the beach." Kuroko struggled not to jump in surprise at the voice that came behind him. Kuroko looked up and saw Akashi looking down at him before sitting down beside him. "Have you ever gone to the beach?"

"No." Kuroko replied as he looked back down at the koi.

"I'll take you someday." Akashi promised and Kuroko tilted his head slightly but did not look up. "You know, when I was a little kid, those koi used to be this big."

Kuroko looked and saw Akashi holding his thumb and index fingers apart so there were a few centimeters between then. He looked back at the large koi, hardly believing something so big used to be so small but now that he looked closer, he did see tiny fish swimming with the koi.

"It's getting cold, let's go inside." Akashi suggested and Kuroko obediently, with a little bit of rare reluctance, followed him inside. "Do you like animals?"

"I like birds and koi." Kuroko replied softly and Akashi hummed thoughtfully as he looked Kuroko over. The boy still had carefully blank eyes but there was a small spark in them. Just barely there, but there nonetheless and all Akashi had to do was carefully cultivate it.

* * *

><p>Kuroko stood in his room, shifting his weight between his feet, as he looked between the futon and the closet. He stepped toward the closet, stopped, and then went back to the middle of the room. Eyeing the room, as if to make sure no one was watching him and waiting to punish him, Kuroko slowly walked to the futon and gingerly laid down.<p>

He stared at the ceiling which seemed so big now that he was staring at it. The room, which was already big to his standards, seemed even larger now. He was so aware of the space that was around him. He tried closing his eyes but then he realized how strangely soft the futon was. Uncomfortably soft. It made him feel like he was sinking.

He rolled over and shifted into a more curled position but that didn't make him anymore comfortable. He was too used to hard floor. He really was meant to be in a cage.

Kuroko grabbed the blanket and entered the closet, shutting the door behind him firmly. With a sigh, Kuroko leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, prepared to fall asleep.

_Patter, patter. _

Kuroko frowned and pressed his ear against the thin wall that was between the hallway outside his room and the closet, listening carefully.

_Patter, patter._

It sounded like feet, shoe covered feet, but that wasn't right. First of all, nobody was rude enough to wear shoes inside Akashi's house. Second, nobody should be in the hallways. It was late, the maids had retired for the day, and Akashi had gone to bed along with Kise and Aomine. They could be guards but they didn't usually go through the hallways.

Kuroko quietly slid the closet door open before going to his bedroom door and pressed his ear to the door again, hearing more pattering of feet. No, there were too many feet making noise for it to be guards.

Kuroko used his ability and opened his door just in time to see several men donned in pure black complete with black masks over their faces surround Akashi's door, no doubt prepared to storm inside. The guards needed retraining.

Odd feelings went through Kuroko at the thought that these men were going to try to kill Akashi. One was, if he had to describe it, hot and nasty. It made him want to tear the men apart, to make them scream in pain. Kuroko didn't like this feeling.

The other feeling, almost just as strong as the other, bubbled up in him and he felt an urge to protect Akashi at all costs, not out of obligation, but because he genuinely wanted too.

Kuroko slammed a hand against a man's head, knocking him out, and shoved him against another man. There were loud whispers, wondering what was going on, followed by soft grunts of pain. Kuroko couldn't see very well since it was dark so he had to sense them using the noises they made and the vibration on the wooden floor.

Kuroko made a lot of unnecessary attacks, punches and kicks that did nothing but cause them pain and not just knock them out like he should, as the hot feeling went through him. He relished in their soft pained grunt and gasps as they dropped to the ground.

Miraculously it was a quiet ordeal, Kuroko and the men unwilling to wake up Akashi.

A knife suddenly sliced Kuroko's arm and the boy grabbed the hand and twisted, catching the knife before it fell. He began to stab the men around him, killing everybody, even the men that were knocked out, careful though to not get blood on his outfit that Akashi had kindly given him.

When he made sure all the men were dead, Kuroko stood there panting, feeling the blood spread on the wooden floor, soaking his feet red. The uncomfortably hot feeling left, making Kuroko feel drained, and Kuroko closed his eyes to calm himself.

He was beginning to feel too much lately.

Kuroko opened blank eyes before he slid open the door slowly and quietly before he entered, trailing red prints behind him. He closed the door behind him and carefully went to what looked like Akashi's bed, lightly pressing a hand against Akashi's naked chest and sighing in relief when he felt it rise and fall.

Kuroko wandered around the room to make sure there was no one hiding before he sat in the middle of the room, facing the door, ignoring the blood pouring down his arm from his cut and pooling onto the ground, determined to stay up all night in case more men came. He was a good dog.


	7. Chapter 7

Wonderfully beta'd by AokazuSei

* * *

><p>Akashi rolled over to his side, awake, but unwilling to get up at the moment. Yesterday had been filled with paperwork and business meetings, and today would just be more of the same routine. Perhaps he could push back some meetings and take Kuroko somewhere. It would at least break the repetitive schedule, and it might help Kuroko open up more.<p>

As he mentally planned the day's schedule, a bloodcurdling scream coming from the hallway had him snap his eyes open. He quickly sat up and frowned as the light illuminating from the hallway allowed him to make out dark spots on the floor near his bed.

It was oddly shaped…almost like a footprint. Akashi stepped out of his bed, his body naked as he disliked sleeping with clothes on, and looked at the ground, noting the footprints were everywhere along his room. As his eyes followed the footprints, his eyes soon landed on Kuroko's back, who was sitting facing the door.

"Tetsuya?" Akashi called, and the boy turned around. Dark bags hung under his eyes, and his face pale showed that he was not in the least bit perturbed by Akashi's nudity. "What's going on?"

"Last night, people tried to kill you, and I disposed of them. I decided to guard you in case any more came. I'm sorry if this displeases you." Kuroko said with a monotone voice, causing Akashi to frown as he slipped on a light yukata, his foggy mind, which had yet to fully wake up, trying to digest all of the information.

"Why did you not wake me?" Akashi asked with the barest hints of irritation, making Kuroko lower his head in repentance.

"I was unsure on what to do." Kuroko replied. Akashi sighed as he rubbed the remnants of sleep from his eyes. The redhead took a deep breath, steeled himself to deal with the day, and opened his door with Kuroko right behind him.

Just outside his door were the bodies of exactly six men, all with several stab wounds, and a pool of congealing blood covering and dying his wooden floors a dark color. The maid who had screamed was on the floor, eyes wide in shock. Her tiny body trembled as her hand covered her mouth.

Aomine and Kise were also out of their rooms, which were both adjacent to Akashi's, and they, despite being shocked, kept calm and tried to analyze the situation, guns pulled out just in case.

"Ryouta, get the maid out of here and block this hallway." Akashi ordered, and Kise nodded sharply, pocketing his gun, and gently guiding the maid away while Akashi mentally noted to give her a raise.

"What do you think happened?" Aomine asked seriously.

"They were sent to kill me, and Tetsuya disposed of them." Akashi replied as he bent down and unmasked one of the men. "It seems quite organized. I want their bodies fully searched. It is possible that they are a part of a gang, so they should have a tattoo somewhere."

"Yes, sir." Aomine said grimly as he began stripping the bodies. Kise helped when he returned a couple minutes later.

Akashi watched passively, his mixed eyes narrowing when he saw a tattoo on one of the men's backs. It wasn't one he could recognize, though it was definitely a gang tattoo since it could be found on all six men.

"Do you know what gang this is?" Aomine asked, and Akashi shook his head irritably. Kuroko shifted, gathering a bit of his courage to speak without being spoken to first, and opened his mouth.

"Fukuda Sogo." Kuroko said quietly, and everyone's eyes snapped up at him, making him lower his head and look away, waiting to be punished.

"What is Fukuda Sogo?" Akashi demanded softly.

"It's a small gang that Haizaki worked with in the past." Kuroko replied softly, and Akashi's eyes furrowed thoughtfully but then widened when he saw dried blood covering Kuroko's arm. It was from a long cut that he hadn't noticed before due to the darkness of his room.

"You're injured." Akashi murmured as he immediately grabbed Kuroko's arm to assess the damage. It wasn't too deep, and it had stopped bleeding although Akashi was unsure how long Kuroko had left it since there was a lot of dried blood on his arm. "Why did you not say anything?"

"…It will not affect my fighting." Kuroko said, mistaking the reason for Akashi's concern. The redhead sighed and closed his eyes. It was too early in the morning for this.

"Ryouta, Daiki, please clean up the bodies. Ryouta, inform Shintaro and have him get some cleaners to clean the floors or replace it if it can't be cleaned. Daiki, get Satsuki to see if she can find the whereabouts of the Fukuda Sogo gang."

"Yes sir!" Both Aomine and Kise said, and Akashi gave them both a sharp nod before gently leading Kuroko away.

Kuroko kept his head down, his eyes watching his feet, expecting to be punished but was surprised when Akashi pulled him into a surprisingly modern bathroom that was the size of a small bedroom. It had grey marble walls with heated matching floors, twin sinks, a large bathtub, and a shower in the corner.

"Sit." Akashi ordered as he pointed to the closed lid toilet, and Kuroko obediently listened, wondering what was going to happen. Punishments usually didn't happen in the bathroom…then again his Master could be quite odd.

To his surprise, Akashi took out a first aid box from under the sink and knelt beside Kuroko, who squirmed uncomfortable, some innate part of him not liking being higher than his Master.

Akashi took out a small bottle, the same bottle he had when he tattooed Kuroko, and without warning, poured the clear liquid onto Kuroko's arm. As soon as the liquid touched his wound, it burned painfully, but Kuroko clenched his teeth in order to hide his pain, bearing what he thought was his punishment.

"It's to sterilize the wound, so it doesn't get infected." Akashi explained coldly, his eyes displeased. He took out a cloth and began to wipe the blood from Kuroko's arm, using the liquid to get out the tough spots while being careful when he dabbed the wound.

When everything was clean, Akashi took out a roll of bandages and began to bandage up the wound tightly which had Kuroko was confused.

Akashi looked unhappy with him so why was he taking care of his wounds? Haizaki had just left them alone to heal or if it was life threatening he brought in an underground doctor, but he had never helped him like Akashi was.

"I told you to tell me when you are hurt." Akashi finally said after sensing Kuroko's confusion.

"My apologies for going against your orders. Please punish me accordingly." Kuroko said mechanically, and Akashi closed his eyes, fighting a glare.

"I will not punish you, but from now on, you are to inform me if you are hurt." He ordered.

"Yes, Master…Akashi-sama." Kuroko corrected himself when Akashi did glare at him. Akashi put away the first aid kit when he was done bandaging the wound, and then, he looked at Kuroko while he still kneeled on the ground.

"Next time something like this happens, I wish for you to wake me up, or to at least get Ryouta and Daiki whose rooms are right next to mine." Akashi ordered.

"Yes, Akashi-sama."

"What would you have done if there were too many for you to handle?" Akashi asked in an attempt to make Kuroko think about his actions, but the point went right over Kuroko's head.

"I would have taken down as many as possible." Kuroko replied, and Akashi's exasperated look told him that was the wrong answer.

"If you are in a situation you cannot handle on your own, without getting hurt, then I wish for you to get help from either me or Daiki and Ryouta." Akashi ordered.

"Yes, Akashi-sama." Kuroko said immediately, and Akashi sighed before looking at Kuroko's feet which had dried blood caked all over the bottom.

Kuroko squirmed again when Akashi took a wet cloth and began to wipe his feet, taking care to be gentle and not scrub too hard. This was not what a Master should be doing. His Master was so _weird_.

When his feet were clean, they both left the bathroom, and Akashi led him down a couple of hallways before knocking on a door. A few seconds passed, in which Kuroko could hear shuffling sounds, before Nijimura answered.

"Tetsuya, this is Nijimura Shuzo. He is the head of the guards, and he trains everyone who joins Teiko. Nijimura, this is Tetsuya, who I've already informed you of." Akashi introduced, and both Kuroko and Nijimura bowed politely.

"I already had the pleasure of meeting Kuroko yesterday. We both fought in a match." Nijimura informed Akashi before turning to Kuroko. "How is your stomach? I kicked it pretty hard yesterday."

"Fine." Kuroko replied and saw Akashi's eyes narrow as he eyed Kuroko's stomach as if trying to see through the clothing covering it.

"What did you need me for, Akashi?" Nijimura asked, effectively gaining Akashi's attention.

"Last night six men broke in to assassinate me. I want the guards on duty last night to be severely punished, and then retrained." Akashi said coldly, and Nijimura stiffed and nodded sharply, anger present in his black eyes.

"I will do so immediately." Nijimura said seriously, and Akashi nodded before walking away with Kuroko slowly trailing behind him.

"I will do my paperwork at home for today since I feel wary about going outside." Akashi informed Kuroko who followed him into his home study.

It was a simple room lined with shelves full of books and boxes of documents and such. In the middle was a low writing desk with a pillow. Akashi sat down after he pulled a few pages from a briefcase that had been sitting by the door.

Akashi patted his leg as an invitation, and Kuroko laid down with his head resting on Akashi's thigh, an action that felt almost soothing to him. A hand ran through his hair gently, and Kuroko's eyes closed against his will, tired from staying up all night.

Akashi shifted through the papers in front of him idly, taking note of the stocks and economy updates, as he ran his hand through Kuroko's hair. It was only a moment later that he realized that the boy's breathing was a bit different, a bit louder, and deeper than usual.

He looked down, and his eyes slightly softened when he saw that Kuroko was asleep, no doubt tired from the long night and probably from a bit of blood loss. Akashi gently caressed his cheek, and Kuroko sighed in his sleep, unconsciously leaning his face toward the warm hand.

When he was sleeping like this, he truly looked like the kid he was, innocent and unguarded. Even as cold hearted as he could be, Akashi still realized how tragic Kuroko was despite being the perfect human weapon.

Watching him sleep, it was impossible to see him as the ruthless killer he was trained to be. Trained to not feel pain, kill without remorse, show no emotion, and obey every order. Kuroko probably didn't even realize that it was wrong to be raised that way.

Wasn't it strange that Akashi felt that made him want to do more for Kuroko? To help him feel emotions and have a bit more peace in his life? It was a contradiction to what he wanted originally since Akashi still wanted him as a killer.

Akashi's eyes fell on Kuroko's wounded arm and shook away the tendrils of anger he felt. He knew that it was probably due to training, but he still felt irritated that Kuroko hadn't said anything about being hurt. What if the wound had been worse and he had bled to death? No, instead he just sat on his floor guarding him. Not even the most loyal of men would have done that.

"Foolish boy." Akashi murmured, running his hands through soft blue hair when Kuroko shifted and snuffled in his sleep. The boy reached up and gripped Akashi's yukata in his hand before snuggling deeper into Akashi's lap.

Akashi shook his head and turned his attention back to the paperwork at hand, ignoring the weird foreign feeling welling into his chest.

* * *

><p>A knock on the door startled Kuroko awake, surprised and irritated at himself for falling asleep in the first place. What if someone had come to assassinate Akashi again? Kuroko shook all traces of sleep before sitting up as Akashi called for the person to come in.<p>

A girl, about Akashi's age, trotted in, long pink hair tied in a ponytail swishing side to side with every step she took. She looked like a teenager with her casual green hoodie and schoolgirl black skirt, but her pink eyes showed wisdom not normally seen in a teen.

"Hello, Satsuki." Akashi greeted.

"Hello, Akashi-kun! Dai-chan told me to do research on that gang you wanted." She said, and Akashi nodded as he set some papers down so he could focus on her.

"First, I would like to introduce you to Kuroko Tetsuya, my new companion of sorts. Tetsuya, this is Momoi Satsuki, she's my informant." Momoi looked confused, looking around, and then jumping with a small cry when she saw Kuroko who had apparently been using his ability unconsciously.

"Wha…were you there the entire time?" She asked incredulously, her need for knowledge peaked.

"Yes." Kuroko replied as he forced himself to stop using his ability.

"Satsuki, what did you find?" Akashi asked before she could release a barrage of questions at Kuroko. She immediately lowered her head in shame.

"I couldn't find much since it's such a small gang. All I got was that the leader is Kazuhiro Mochizuki, and he's apparently a pretty popular drug dealer. I tried sniffing around everywhere, calling all my contacts, but it would seem he has gone into hiding and can't be found." Momoi said quietly, and Akashi's hands clenched as he silently seethed.

Kuroko watched him quietly, seeing the lines of wariness on Akashi's face, the anger in his eyes, and the deep furrow of his eyebrows along with the clench of his fists.

The image haunted him well throughout the day and into the night when he retired to his room where he stood in the middle, shifting his weight from foot to foot, not because he was once again debating futon or closet but because he didn't know what to do.

He knew that he could probably find Kazuhiro Mochizuki if he sniffed around. It had been one of the things he had done for Haizaki when he couldn't find someone who hadn't paid back a loan. But, Akashi hadn't ordered him to find him.

"_You know, Tetsuya, there will be times when orders can't be given, and you'll have to think for yourself."_

Those had been Akashi's words yesterday. Did that not mean that Akashi wanted him to do things outside of orders as well?

Kuroko bit his lip worriedly, the wary image of Akashi in his mind. If he did not find Mochizuki then he would probably send more assassins, and that would be troublesome for his Master, and Akashi wouldn't be able to relax until the man was found. It shouldn't take too long, and he should be back by morning, possibly before anyone even realized he was gone.

With a decision in mind, Kuroko opened the door leading outside and stepped out, turning his ability on full power. He walked around the house, checking on the security, satisfied when he saw all the guards sharp and on their toes, no doubt wary after last night.

Still feeling a bit nervous with leaving Akashi alone, Kuroko left the premises, intent on finding Mochizuki.

* * *

><p>Kuroko carefully walked down the grimy street of the downtown slums where the homeless people huddled together to fight the cold. A few people stumbled past him, either drunk or high, and Kuroko passed them without a look since they seemed too out of it to give him a proper answer.<p>

"Excuse me, sir." Kuroko said softly to a middle aged man wrapped in a green blanket full of holes. The man gasped slightly before looking at Kuroko with bloodshot eyes, his hands shakily gripping his blanket closer to him.

"What do you want? A young boy like you shouldn't be out here." The man asked gruffly, and Kuroko gave him a fake kind smile in an attempt to make himself look as innocent as possible. It was successful when he noted that the man's eyes soften.

"Please, sir, I'm looking for my brother. His name is Mochizuki; do you know where I might find him?" Kuroko asked, adding a desperate timber to his voice. The man hummed, rocking on his feet as he thought hard.

"I'm sorry son, I can't think of anyone by that name." The man said regrettably, and Kuroko nodded in understanding.

"Thank you." Kuroko said before moving on.

He spent the night repeating the same process with other people he stumbled upon, but he didn't have any progress in his search, which wasn't too much of a surprise since everyone was trying to find shelter from the cold night.

Still, Kuroko kept wandering around patiently, uncaring that his feet were fatigued and numb from the cold. The sun was beginning to rise, and Kuroko bit his lip as he looked at it. Akashi would be up soon and even if he gave up and went back now, he would still be too late.

So, he continued on. Finally, he found someone who had just finished a deal with Mochizuki and gave him directions to a rundown building where he was holed up. Kuroko thanked him before hurrying off.

He found the building easily, and there were a few people dressed in black, the same clothing as the assassins, keeping guard. Kuroko easily used his ability and knocked them out with sharp open fisted jabs to the back of their heads.

They were all weak, not even worth fighting in an actual brawl. Kuroko cautiously opened the door and immediately saw his target shooting himself up with a clear liquid in a needle. Kuroko eyes swept the room and saw a pile of ropes in a corner.

He quietly grabbed them, Mochizuki still oblivious to the fact that he was no longer alone, before quietly sneaking up on him. He slammed his fist into his head, harder than was actually necessary, and tied him up, fashioning some of the extra rope as a leash in which he used to drag the body out of the building, hoping Mochizuki wouldn't wake up before Kuroko reached Akashi.

He made sure to use alleys and back roads so that he wouldn't run into anyone. The sun was high in the sky now, and Kuroko sighed, knowing that Akashi would now be awake and wondering where he was. Hopefully, his punishment wouldn't be too bad.


	8. Chapter 8

Wonderfully beta'd by AokazuSei

* * *

><p>The next morning, Akashi knocked on Kuroko's door, but there was no answer, making the redhead frown. He knocked again, but there still wasn't any reply which struck him as odd since Kuroko didn't seem to be the type to sleep in; Akashi was fairly certain that Kuroko was a light sleeper due to the fact that he was startled awake by Momoi's knocking.<p>

Akashi opened the door and saw that the room was completely empty with the door to the outside slightly ajar. He checked outside, but Kuroko was nowhere in sight.

There was no sign of a struggle either, so the chances of Kuroko being taken were fairly slim. In fact, Akashi had a feeling that Kuroko had willingly left, which began the question as to where he went. Akashi severely doubted that Kuroko had abandoned him, if not because of genuine loyalty, but because of years of training not to leave his Master.

Where did he go and why?

There were hundreds of possibilities, especially when it came to the cloud of mysteries that shrouded Kuroko; it was impossible to discern anything to hint his whereabouts.

So what was he trying to do now?

Akashi hummed as his eyes swept the room, looking for clues of any kind, but nothing was out of place. In fact, everything was clean, and the bed was made perfectly, making the room look uninhabited.

For now, he would have to wait for Kuroko to return. If he left willingly, then there was a good chance that Kuroko would eventually return on his own as well. Kuroko would not betray him, that much, Akashi was certain, although he did not have any actual basis for this uncharacteristic trust.

Akashi sighed as he left the room.

Despite the trust he felt, his actions said otherwise. He chose to stay at home and do his work in his study again. Aomine and Kise kept him company every now and then since Kuroko wasn't there to protect him, but he was still anxious.

His writing, usually immaculate and elegant, was darker and more coarse than usual as he gripped his pen tighter than necessary. Whenever there were footsteps outside the room, his head shot up, eyes trained on the door as if willing it to open and reveal Kuroko, but it would just turn out to be another maid.

Aomine and Kise both noticed his unease but wisely stayed silent. Instead of cleaning their guns, they were both worried about Kuroko but for varied reasons.

"Maybe he just wanted to be free." Kise finally said slowly, and Akashi looked at him with a conflicted look before he shook his head.

"I don't think he knows the meaning of the word." Akashi replied before leaning back.

"He could have returned to that Haizaki thug." Aomine said, and Akashi had to admit, the possibility did run through his mind.

"If Tetsuya does not return by tomorrow morning, then I will pay a visit to Shougo." Akashi decided before returning to his paperwork, effectively ending the conversation, yet both Aomine and Kise still looked worried.

Suddenly, there was shouting down the hall, and both Aomine and Kise leapt to their feet, gun held out and trained at the door. There was a soft hesitant knock on the door. The shouting grew in volume, and Akashi called for the person to enter.

The door slid open, and Kuroko entered the room. He had bags under his eyes from not sleeping for two nights in a row, but other than his jaded appearance, he was unharmed. In his hand, he held a rope which was connected to a tied up body that struggled and shouted as he was dragged into the room.

"I have brought you Kazuhiro Mochizuki." Kuroko announced with wariness in his voice and annoyance in his eyes as he eyed the body.

Akashi, thankfully, was capable of not gaping like an idiot unlike Aomine and Kise who were, but he was unable to keep the surprise from his face.

"You were able to find him when Satsuki and the men I sent out yesterday were unable?" Akashi asked, and Kuroko nodded sharply. "Daiki, Ryouta?"

The bodyguards aimed the gun at the body which froze in fear, and Kuroko glided over to Akashi's side when the redhead patted the spot beside him. Kise untied the man and forcefully sat him down in front of Akashi.

He was a bald man with black beady bloodshot eyes, which wavered as if he was unable to focus properly. He wore threadbare clothing that hadn't been cleaned for days. His hands twitched, and Akashi could see needle marks on his arms.

"How did you find him?" Akashi asked Kuroko.

"I wandered through downtown and asked all the high people if they knew his whereabouts." Kuroko replied, and Akashi's eyebrows furrowed.

"You asked every high person you met?" Kuroko nodded.

"He was a popular drug dealer. I suspected that someone who regularly did drugs would know of him and consequently, know where he is." Kuroko replied warily, and Akashi looked at him before turning his gaze to Mochizuki.

"Hello Kazuhiro, I am Akashi Seijuro." The man's face immediately paled. "I would like to know why you sent assassins after me."

The man gaped and looked like he was going to refuse to answer, but Aomine tapped his head with the tip of his gun, and Mochizuki gulped audibly, sweat appearing on his brow.

"Y-you we- were g-g-getting in the way m-my d-d-d-drug b-business." The man stammered horribly, his body shaking.

"Ah, because I don't allow people outside of Teiko to sell drugs on my territory." Akashi confirmed as he laced his fingers together, and the man nodded erratically. "So, you thought by getting rid of me, you could sell drugs more freely."

"Y-y-y-yes." Tears were filling the man's eyes, but Akashi remained unsympathetic.

"Daiki, Ryouta, please deal with this man, and then, place his body somewhere people will find him. Make sure the newspapers cover his death. I want this man to be made an example of." Akashi ordered and both Aomine and Kise nodded before dragging the screaming man out of the room.

Akashi sighed and rubbed his eyes before looking at Kuroko whose face was slightly lowered. His eyes drooped slightly from fatigue, and his body was slightly slumped over. Akashi felt relieved, not realizing just how anxious he had been, how he had secretly been…not scared, he wasn't scared of anything…but uneasy that Kuroko had gone back to Haizaki.

A wave of possessiveness ran through him, and Akashi raised his hand and traced the bandage that covered Kuroko's tattoo. It wasn't enough.

"Come." Akashi ordered, and Kuroko immediately followed Akashi out of the room and to his surprise, they entered his bedroom. Akashi slid the door closed behind him, and suddenly, Kuroko found himself pinned to the wall.

Before he could react, a certain redhead's lips were pressed against his own, and Kuroko's eyes widened in surprise before lowering and mechanically kissing back. He opened his mouth, and Akashi's tongue immediately entered his mouth, entwining Kuroko's with his own tongue.

Akashi roughly grabbed his hair, pulling his head back, and pressed his body against Kuroko's, completely dominating the smaller male. Their teeth clacked against each other, and saliva dripped down Kuroko's chin. Kuroko let out a soft grunt into the kiss, followed by a soft whine as he gripped Akashi's shirt. Panting, they broke apart, and Akashi looked into Kuroko's eyes.

"Akashi-sama?" Kuroko whispered questioningly when Akashi just stared at him with conflicted eyes. Akashi closed his eyes and seemed to force himself away from Kuroko with a small shake of his head.

"You should get some sleep." Akashi said gruffly, and Kuroko frowned lightly.

"But, Kise-kun and Aomine-kun aren't with you." Kuroko said softly, exhausted but unwilling to leave Akashi unguarded.

"I have guards, and after last night they won't slack off. Sleep." Akashi said, this time with a commanding tone, and Kuroko nodded sharply.

Akashi ruffled his hair and gave him a small bitter smile before leaving the room. He closed the door and leaned against it lightly, breathing slightly harder than normal.

He almost went too far with Kuroko. The lust-filled urge had been there, his arousal spiking, and he would have done it, if Kuroko's eyes hadn't shown so much confusion and a bit of resignation.

Kuroko would have let him do it, but then, he would have been nothing but all those men that Kuroko had probably been with. Haizaki had implied that Kuroko had been sold before. No, Akashi wasn't like them. If anything did happen between them, Kuroko would be in the right mind frame to refuse him if he wanted too.

* * *

><p>Akashi took a deep calming breath before going back to his study to complete the paperwork. With the culprit who tried to assassinate him soon to be dead, he would be able to go back to his office tomorrow.<p>

Akashi looked at the time, delicately covering a yawn with his hand, and saw that it would be soon time for dinner. Kuroko was still presumably sleeping, so Akashi decided to go wake him up, so they could eat together since the boy had missed both breakfast and lunch. He had also asked Murasakibara to make a special dinner for Kuroko.

He left the study and walked to Kuroko's room, sliding the door open without knocking and frowned when there wasn't anybody in the room. Did he go out again…? Did he scare off Kuroko by kissing him?

Akashi was about to leave the room to send people to go look for Kuroko when he noticed the closet door slightly ajar. He walked over, slid it open and stopped. He heaved a long suffering sigh, pinched the bridge of his nose, and breathed out noisily.

There, with a blanket wrapped around him and curled around in a loose ball, was Kuroko sleeping soundly.

"Don't tell me you've been sleeping here the entire time." Akashi muttered irritably as he closed his eyes. "I gave you an entire room, and yet, you sleep in the closet."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Akashi kneeled down and shook Kuroko awake. It only took one shake for Kuroko's eyes to snap open and for him to sit up, fully alert and ready to fight. His hand gripping Akashi's wrist was tight enough to hurt.

"Akashi-sama." Kuroko deadpanned although he quickly let go of Akashi's wrist and bowed his head apologetically.

"Have you been sleeping here this whole time?"

"Yes." Kuroko replied, and Akashi's eye twitched.

"Well, you've lost your room privileges." Akashi deadpanned, and Kuroko frowned. Would he be sleeping in a cage then? "Until I can trust you to sleep in your own futon, you'll be staying in my room."

"Your room?" Kuroko asked with a slightly tilt of his head. Akashi nodded with a very annoyed look in his face.

"Dinner should be ready." Akashi said as he left, not bothering to look to see if Kuroko was following him. Kuroko blinked before quickly getting up and trailing behind Akashi like a puppy. Akashi stopped a maid and asked her to put a spare futon in his room before he continued to the dining room.

Tonight, they were having numerous side dishes full of food that Kuroko had never seen before. It all smelled so good, making his stomach growl quite loudly, and Akashi smirked slightly as he gestured for Kuroko to dig in.

"I want you to try at least a bite out of everything." Akashi said, and Kuroko nodded sharply. Although he thought it was a weird order, he was getting used to his Master's eccentricities.

Kuroko tried a bit of everything: fish, assorted meats, vegetables, and different noodles. Everything was exceptionally delicious, and it wasn't too long before he was too full to eat anymore despite his mouth wanting more.

"What did you like?" Akashi asked, and Kuroko frowned, suppressing a small sigh.

"Everything was good." Kuroko replied, and Akashi smirked in amusement.

"Alright, but if you had to choose one thing to eat at this table, what would it be?" Kuroko paused as he looked at the food. Finally, he pointed his chopsticks to a small dish with cut up pieces of fruit. "Ah, you like peaches."

"Yes." Kuroko replied, and Akashi smiled approvingly.

"Alright, if you had to choose a dish that you wouldn't eat, which would it be?" Kuroko frowned, this one a harder question since he liked them all. Well, all of them except… He pointed to a dish with something orange cut up. "You don't like carrots?"

"Yes."

"Shame since they're good for you." Akashi said, but there wasn't any disapproval in his voice, just slight amusement. Kuroko suddenly fidgeted slightly, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth, looking vaguely uncomfortable and conflicted. "What's wrong?"

"What…What does Akashi-sama like?" Kuroko asked softly, bowing his head for speaking out of turn, but curiosity getting the best of him.

"I like tofu soup, and I dislike seaweed." Akashi replied with a small smile, and Kuroko looked at him with slight surprise for answering and not punishing him. "You won't be punished for asking questions. In fact, I encourage it."

"Yes, Akashi-sama." Kuroko replied softly. Truthfully, he had multiple questions that he didn't dare ask. Why didn't Akashi treat him like Haizaki? Why was he being so kind? What was with this liking business? The questions went on and on, but Kuroko didn't dare push his luck.

"Let's go get you set up in my room." Akashi suggested.

Kuroko nodded and followed Akashi to his bedroom, seeing it clearly for the first time since the night before it had been too dark to see, and during that time, he had been too focused on keeping an eye on the door to actually observe anything else.

It was a pretty decent sized room surprisingly, not as big as Kuroko would have thought Akashi would have, but big enough for the two of them. There were now two futons on opposite sides of the room, a door that was probably the closet, a wooden shelf full of books, and other miscellaneous stuff. On the wall in between their beds was an impressive display of swords.

"You may look at them if you wish, but be careful, they are sharp." Akashi said when he saw Kuroko's eyes trained on the swords. The teen immediately went to observe the sharp and obviously well taken care of blades, cautiously running a finger down one and feeling it slice a layer of skin. "Do you know how to fight with a sword?"

"No." Kuroko replied.

"Do you have any weapons you prefer fighting with?" Akashi asked curiously, and Kuroko paused in thought.

"Knives." Kuroko said, and Akashi nodded in thought, making plans in his head while studying Kuroko's uniform.

Kuroko went back to looking around the room, and he noticed dark spots on the floor. It took a moment to realize that it was dried blood that had yet to be cleaned. He tried to recall if there had been some dried blood outside the room as well, but he couldn't remember since he hadn't looked.

"I'll have the maids clean it tomorrow, but this does remind me, how is your arm?" Akashi asked as he tenderly looked at Kuroko's wounded arm, catching the boy off-guard with his concern.

"It is fine." Kuroko replied, and Akashi gave him a scrutinizing look.

"Does it hurt when you move it?" He asked, knowing full well that their definitions of fine greatly differed, and Kuroko experimentally moved his arm around.

"No." He said, and Akashi gave a satisfied nod as he looked Kuroko over, his eyes landing on the bandage on the back of Kuroko's neck. It had been about two days since it had been placed on. It should be fine to take the bandage off. He peeled off the material carefully, revealing the large black Japanese character of Teiko and a spike of pride went through him.

Kuroko shivered when he felt Akashi kiss the tattoo, and the lips on his skin lifted upward into a smirk. "This marks you as mine. Never forget that."

"Yes, Akashi-sama." Kuroko replied softly, an odd warm feeling bubbling in him, a feeling that he had felt earlier when Akashi had kissed him. It was a feeling that Kuroko couldn't identify, but it was light, and it filled him with an odd kind of warmth. He wondered if that was normal.

"Go to sleep, you still need to recover." Akashi ordered, and Kuroko nodded sharply as he hesitantly laid down on his futon while Akashi turned off the light, stripped, and went into his own.

Kuroko stared at the ceiling, still faced with the same dilemma of the room being just too big even if there was less space with two people. He shifted on the too soft futon, lying on his side, and then his stomach, but he just couldn't get comfortable.

Finally, as quietly as he could, he attempted to get out with the intent of sleeping in Akashi's closet and waking up before his Master woke up. He managed to get one foot on the ground when Akashi's voice rang out.

"Don't even think about it." Akashi growled, and Kuroko immediately got back into the futon, shame coloring his face pink. He shifted some more and began to accept that he probably wasn't going to get any sleep that night even with exhaustion plaguing his body still.

He heard Akashi sigh softly, and then, the redhead suddenly got out of his futon and went to Kuroko, sliding in beside the boy, shoving the boy into the wall so there was room for the both of them.

"Akashi-sama?" Kuroko asked uncertainly, and strong arms wrapped around him tightly, the taller man's front pressing against his back without any concern for his nudity, his face pressed against Kuroko's neck where his tattoo was.

"Just go to sleep, I won't do anything to you." Akashi said and Kuroko frowned as he stared at the wall in front of him. His Master was weird.

Still, exhaustion was setting in, and the room didn't quite seem so big when he was caged in Akashi's arms and facing the wall. The futon was still too soft to his liking, but that mattered less and less the more tired he became. His eyes slid closed, and in minutes he was asleep.

Akashi closed his eyes when he heard Kuroko's breath deepen in sleep and breathed deeply, frowning when he realized that Kuroko had no scent, but it oddly complimented his ability of turning invisible. Unseen, unheard, and even odorless.

Akashi smirked to himself as he fell asleep to the rhythm of Kuroko's breathing.


	9. Chapter 9

Wonderfully beta'd by AokazuSei

* * *

><p>"Akashi-kun!" Momoi called cheerfully as she barged into Akashi's study, making his eye twitch while Kuroko, who was rocking his feet, immediately went into a fighting position, settling down warily when he realized it was only Momoi.<p>

"Please knock before entering." Akashi gritted out in annoyance, but Momoi waved her hand dismissively as she looked around the room in excitement as if looking for someone.

Kuroko stopped using his ability, which he had turned on since he had been badly startled by Momoi's squealing.

"The stuff that you asked me for arrived!" Momoi announced, practically jumping on the tips of her feet. Akashi nodded as he went back to looking at a piece of paper full of graphs. But, Momoi kept looking at him expectantly with a grin plastered on her face, until Akashi finally sighed.

"Let's go check it out then." He said when it was obvious she wasn't going to leave until they did. She jumped and clapped her hands happily as she disappeared down the hall with Akashi and Kuroko following her. Kuroko tilted his head in confusion when he saw her going into his, now, unused room.

They entered his room, and he saw Momoi open his closet to reveal a whole new wardrobe full of what Momoi stated was the current style. She forced him to try some of the clothes, and although she claimed he looked good in them, he found them uncomfortable and restricting, but it was worth it to see the approving look in Akashi's eyes.

"That's not all." Akashi said as he pulled out a replica of Teiko's uniform and gave it to Kuroko. A small frown appeared when Kuroko realized that it was a tiny bit heavier than normal. He quickly changed and experimentally moved around.

"There are secret compartments sewn into your outfit." Akashi explained as he pointed out the little pockets sewn all around Kuroko's thighs and around the end of his shirt. "It's to put these in."

Akashi pulled out a large wide box and opened it, revealing small silver knives with round holes at the end of their hilts, so Kuroko could easily pull them out of the compartments. Kuroko blinked in surprise as he picked up a dagger and twirled it with his hands before throwing it in the air and catching it, testing the weight.

A small smile graced Kuroko's lips as he slid the daggers in the compartments, and Akashi nodded approvingly, his eyes thanking Momoi for setting it up.

"Do you like everything?" Momoi asked, her pink eyes sparkling, and Kuroko nodded sharply making her smile happily. Then, much to his surprise, she hugged him, making him freeze in surprise, his eyes wide and arms frozen in the air.

"Satsuki, you're scaring him." Akashi said with amusement, and Momoi immediately let Kuroko go, the boy immediately edging toward Akashi.

"I'm going to go bug Dai-chan! See you!" Momoi announced before bouncing out of the room. Akashi shook his head and looked at Kuroko who began to move around, trying to adjust to the added weight of his outfit.

"Do you like it?" Akashi asked.

"Yes." Although the answer was blunt, Akashi could see the pleased gleam in Kuroko's eyes as he did a flip in the air and landed on his feet lightly.

"There is another box full of daggers in the closet just in case." Akashi informed him, and Kuroko nodded. "Would you like to try your new daggers?"

Kuroko looked up in surprise then nodded with a serious look. The two left the room and entered another large room that had a widescreen TV with wires connecting it to several gaming consoles, one of which Aomine and Kise were currently playing with.

"Tetsuya and I are going to eliminate a human trafficking group. We'll be back later." Akashi informed them before leaving the room.

"Okay!" Kise shouted. "…Wait, what?!"

The two bodyguards scrambled out of the room, and Akashi indulgingly waited for them to catch up to him, both having twin looks of surprise, concern and touches of exasperation.

"You can't just go alone with Tetsu!" Aomine said.

"Yeah, we'll go with you!" Kise said and Akashi quirked an eyebrow.

"Are you suggesting that we cannot handle it?" He asked with a very dangerous tone, and the bodyguards froze.

"No, of course not!" Kise said with wild hand gestures. "It's just dangerous, and it's better to have back up!"

"I thank you two for your concern, but I wish to test something, and it will be more effective if it were just the two of us." Akashi said, his tone daring for the two to argue. They looked damned near close to taking him up on the challenge, but one icy glare from his eyes changed their minds.

"Just…be careful, boss. Don't wanna have to look for a new job." Aomine said with resignation, his eyes glaring at Kuroko, ordering him to take care of Akashi.

"Yeah, you too, Kurokocchi!" Kise said with a smile that was obviously forced.

Akashi nodded before he left the house with Kuroko right at his heel before entering the limo that was waiting for them. Akashi gave the driver in front of the partition the directions before he turned to Kuroko seriously.

"When we arrive at the warehouse, we're going to kill them all." Akashi said, and Kuroko nodded sharply, his hand tracing the compartments in his clothing. "I don't want you to protect me."

"Akashi-sama?" Kuroko asked in surprise and confusion, and Akashi frowned.

"Do you also doubt that I can't take care of myself?" Akashi asked, and Kuroko shook his head immediately.

"It is my job to protect you." Kuroko said.

"No, your job is to listen to me." Akashi refuted with crossed arms, and Kuroko stifled a sigh of resignation. Of all the orders he had received thus far, this one was going to be the hardest to follow, not because he didn't think Akashi could take care of himself, but because it was ingrained in him to protect his Master.

"Yes, Akashi-sama." Kuroko said, and Akashi wondered if the boy was even aware that he was slightly pouting.

"I would like you to start calling me something less formal." Akashi said, and Kuroko tilted his head. "Try, Akashi-kun instead."

Kuroko blinked, open and closed his mouth while he wordlessly mouth the word before he sighed. "Akashi…kun."

"Good." Akashi said approvingly, and Kuroko gave him a conflicted look with a little bit of resignation. "Now, there will be quite a bit of men, and I want them all dead except for any person in chains."

"Chains?" Kuroko asked, and Akashi nodded grimly.

"These people are human traffickers, kidnapping, and selling people for sex." Kuroko noticeably stiffened, and Akashi hid a grimace, knowing that Kuroko could probably sympathize more than anybody. Although, at least by the look of horror in his eyes, he knew that it was wrong which meant that Haizaki hadn't broken him that much.

The rest of the ride was ridden in silence. Kuroko's eyes were guarded and forcibly blank, as if he had digressed back to how he was before Akashi had met him. Akashi began to regret bringing Kuroko at all. Perhaps this would have been a better mission for Kise and Aomine, but it was the best place to test his knives currently.

When they were close to the warehouse of their destination, they left the limo, not wanting anybody to be alerted of their presence beforehand. They walked through the downtown slums quietly, Kuroko keeping his gaze to his bare feet while Akashi eyed him warily, trying to figure out if the damage was permanent.

They reached the warehouse within the hour. It was an old rickety shack that looked like it was about to collapse at any moment. Two men stood guarding the door.

Kuroko, after getting permission, used his ability to sneak up on one of the men and smoothly sliced his throat. As the man gurgled on his own blood, the other man tried to run away, but Kuroko threw another dagger with deadly accuracy, plunging into his skull. Not wanting to waste even one dagger, Kuroko tore it out of the man's skull and repocketed the dagger.

With a shared nod, Kuroko opened the door and walked in with Akashi behind him. They were immediately surrounded by people, and Akashi looked at them with a bored expression, his eyes landing on women in the back all chained together.

Kuroko's eyes also saw the women, and his eyes flashed dangerously as his hands clenched. Akashi eyed him with trepidation and anticipation. Before, even when Akashi had first seen him, Kuroko only killed because he was ordered too, but the Kuroko before him now _wanted _too. Akashi examined the men in front of him. It seemed they didn't have enough resources to get guns, or at least, enough guns for everyone, which left them unprotected.

"Why, isn't it Akashi Seijuro?" One of the men said mockingly, and Akashi looked at him blandly. "I've heard of him, but I didn't expect him to be such a midget!"

The word was barely out of his mouth before there was a loud bang; a bloody hole appeared in his skull. The man froze, muscles in his face twitching before he fell to the ground. Akashi lowered his gun.

"Would anyone else like to comment on my height?" He asked with a fox-like smile.

The men began to charge and much to Akashi's surprise, Kuroko stopped using his ability before he attacked them, as if he wanted their attention on him.

Which he did. As memories flashed in his head, Kuroko felt that burning red hot feeling flow through his veins, and he wanted to be the one to kill them all. Unlike last time though, the feeling was so consuming, all he could see was red.

He pulled out two daggers, holding one in each hand, and he began to slash about wildly but with purpose. He played with them like a cat would play with a mouse. They were so weak that it was pitifully easy.

He slashed them in places that would not kill them but give them excruciating pain. Blood poured everywhere on the ground from all their wounds, so much, that it was to the point some of them even slipped and fell into it. A man stumbled up to him, trying to grab him, and Kuroko swung around and plunged the blade right into his eyeball which stuck onto his dagger when he pulled it out, leaving a gaping hole in its wake.

The man screamed as he clutched his empty socket. Kuroko paused for a long moment, slashing at some other men, before he sliced his throat and pushed the man away so that he fell on his back.

A man screamed loudly, calling what Kuroko presumed to be the dead man's name, before charging at him wildly. Kuroko ducked down, and with a fluid movement, sliced open the man's stomach before swinging around and plunging his blade deep into the chest of another man who was trying to sneak up on him.

Three men tried to jump him this time, though one of them failed once he slipped on blood. Kuroko grabbed more blades and threw one at the man closest to him, the blade piercing his throat, before slicing the throat of the second man with only enough strength to leave him alive but unable to breathe. He was left clutching his throat in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

Kuroko slammed his foot into the skull of the man who had fallen with enough speed and force that his nose was completely embedded into his head before taking pity and slamming his blade into his heart. The second man had fallen to his knees by now, trying to plead for mercy, but the words were not coming out. Kuroko stood in front of him, just staring at his eyes that begged for his life.

"I wonder how many people have looked at you with those same eyes." Kuroko said, his voice twisted with a dark quiet fury. "Tell me, did you grant them mercy?"

The man tried to reply, tears running down his face, but all Kuroko felt was disgust. He plunged a blade into the man's forehead with enough strength for it to go straight to the hilt before he turned to the last man standing, frozen in fear.

"M-m-monster!" The man screamed as he tried to bolt away from the approaching danger, but Kuroko threw a dagger at his legs, causing him to fall in the pool of blood that nearly covered the entire floor of the building. Kuroko sauntered over to the man who had begun to try to crawl his way to the door before he plunged three blades into the man's back, missing anything vital.

The man screamed in agony and Kuroko tilted his head as he looked at the man, idly wondering how many blades he could stick into him before he died. Alas, the man's incessant screaming was beginning to give him a headache so after stomping on a blade so it went in deeper, Kuroko ended the man's torture with a blade in the head.

Kuroko pulled the blade out and stared at the dripped red metal in fascination. The sadistic gleam still in his eyes, Kuroko licked the blade while eyeing the bodies that scattered all around him.

Akashi moved forward and froze when Kuroko turned to face him. The boy's entire body, except for a couple of patches of his face, was covered in blood. Kuroko looked at him as if he was considering killing him as well within his animalistic fury. Akashi was reminded of something that he should have never forgotten: as cute and docile as Kuroko could be, he was still a boy who was trained to kill without any remorse.

"Tetsuya." Akashi said strongly, refusing to feel any fear because instinctual he knew that if he showed any weakness in front of this Kuroko, he would be killed. Without breaking contact with Kuroko's wild dangerous eyes, he moved forward until he was right in front of the smaller boy. Blue eyes still stared at him consideringly, weighing him, seeing his worth.

"You will obey me, Tetsuya." Akashi snarled with his eyes blazing as he stood up straight, so he towered over the boy. Something sparked in Kuroko's eyes, and Akashi watched as the fury melted away, leaving the blue hue blank of any emotion.

"Akashi-sa-kun." Kuroko said blankly, bowing his head, and Akashi forced himself to relax and calm his racing heart, knowing full well how close he had been to being slaughtered.

He idly wondered if this was why Haizaki kept Kuroko on a collar, to reign the monster he had created. It could have been the reason why he left Kuroko alone when the collar was off; in fact, if it had been Haizaki instead of himself, Kuroko would have killed him instantly.

"Are you calm now?" Akashi asked, and Kuroko nodded sharply. Akashi began searching through the bodies before he found a key, and walked over to the now traumatized women who flinched away from him, a couple of them screaming.

"My apologies for what you have witnessed, but you are all free to go now." Akashi murmured softly as he unlocked their chains. They all ran away, making sure to avoid Kuroko who stayed in his spot passively, all except one little girl who stopped in front of him, staring up at him with jaded eyes.

"Thank you." Was all she said before she left the building.

"Let's go, Tetsuya." Akashi said, and Kuroko blankly began to follow him out of the building before he suddenly stopped and stared at something from the corner of the room that wasn't covered in blood. "Tetsuya?"

Kuroko shakily walked over to the corner and kneeled down, eyes wide. There, sitting innocently in the corner glinting from the light that managed to filter through the grime covered windows, was a lock of metallic colored hair.

Kuroko tentively touched it, stroking it, before his entire body trembled. His mouth opened before he shut it and closed his eyes. He slightly rocked on his feet, and he took a deep breath. When he opened it, his eyes were completely blank, like he had shut down.

"Tetsuya?" Akashi called as he began to walk towards him, but Kuroko stood up and shook his head.

"I thought I saw something, but it turned out to be nothing." Kuroko said monotonously, and Akashi frowned since it hadn't seemed like nothing, but he decided to let it go since it couldn't have been too important if Kuroko chose to not tell him.

They left the warehouse and began to make way to the limo. A few homeless people saw them, but they merely turned their heads and walked away. They were in the slums, where murder wasn't exactly rare and the police never intervened.

They were passing by an alley when Kuroko suddenly stopped and stared into it with the barest tilt of his head. The boy suddenly walked into the alley and crouched at a moving box. Akashi stepped closer to see a puppy in it.

Kuroko watched as the black and white dog barked and wagged its tail, begging to be picked up, not perturbed by the blood dripping off of him. Akashi looked at Kuroko then back at the puppy, noticing how the dog had nearly the same exact eyes as the boy.

It was obvious that Kuroko was fascinated by the dog, even in his current state of mind, and although Akashi detested dogs, especially disobedient ones, he found himself considering keeping it. It was the first thing that Kuroko had openingly looked like he wanted. If he took in the dog, it might show Kuroko the difference of how he was treated and how a dog was treated, and maybe, he would realize that Akashi did not think of him as one.

So, with a bit of reluctance, Akashi picked up the puppy, a malamute runt by the looks of it. Kuroko looked up at him.

"If you wish, we can bring him home, but you have to take care of him." Akashi said, and Kuroko simply stared at him for a minute.

"I would like to keep him." Kuroko finally replied blankly, and Akashi nodded as he left the alley with the dog in his arms, and Kuroko trailing after him. He would have preferred for Kuroko to carry him, but then blood would get into its fur, which meant that he would have to bathe it

They made it to the limo and got in; Kuroko was getting blood all over the seat, so Akashi made a mental note to pay the driver extra to clean it. Akashi eyed all the blood on Kuroko, and a thought struck him. He had never seen Kuroko take a shower once.

Akashi usually took a shower at the end of the day, but he had never seen Kuroko take one yet. Which brought up a horrible possibility.

"Tetsuya, did Haizaki ever allow you to bathe?" Akashi asked faintly.

"When I got dirty, he hosed me down." Kuroko replied, and Akashi had to close his eyes to hide the spike of fury that went through him. He took in a few deep breathes, willing himself to calm down, before he reopened them.

"I will help you shower when we get home." Akashi said, and Kuroko nodded, his eyes still blank which was a cause for concern. It couldn't have been the killing…Kuroko was too used to killing because of Haizaki. Then again, it was possible that Kuroko had never actually lost control like that before. It may have been a side effect of Akashi trying to get him to feel again.

When Akashi arrived home, he immediately took Kuroko through the house and headed for the bathroom, but they were stopped by Aomine and Kise. Kise gasped when he saw Kuroko, even Aomine looked surprise.

"How badly is he hurt?" Kise immediately asked.

"He isn't hurt. None of the blood is his own." Akashi reassured, and both of them looked at him in shock before looking back at Kuroko who didn't even deign them with a look. "Here, take this mutt to my room, and then go out and buy some dog supplies."

Akashi dumped the dog into Kise's arms, the blonde shouting in surprise, before he continued his way to the bathroom with Kuroko behind him.

As soon as they entered, Akashi began to strip, and he ordered Kuroko to do the same. The blood had soaked through the clothing and dyed the skin underneath red. Akashi gathered the clothing and dumped them in a corner to be disposed of later before pulling Kuroko into the shower.

After turning it on and adjusting it to a comfortable temperature, Akashi pulled Kuroko under the spray, and the water instantly turned into a light pink hue as it swirled into the drain. Akashi rubbed Kuroko's hair slightly, trying to get most of the blood out, before grabbing a bottle and squirting a thick gel into his hand which he then started to scrub into Kuroko's hair.

He gently weaved his hand through the hair, rubbing at the scalp caringly. Kuroko closed his eyes as he reveled in the sensation which made it easier for Akashi who didn't have to worry about shampoo getting into the boy's eyes.

When Akashi was satisfied, he gently tipped Kuroko's head back under the spray of water so that the dyed pink foam was washed away, leaving the hair clean and a shade darker than usual due to being wet.

Akashi got a cloth and soap and proceeded to rub the soap into the cloth before he reached towards Kuroko, intending to wash his body next. He was slightly surprised when a hand lightly grasped his wrist, blue eyes dully looking at him.

"Do you think I'm a monster?" Kuroko asked hoarsely, his eyes getting a haunted shadow.

"No." Akashi said. "You did everything that I asked you to. Nothing more, nothing less."

"So you accept even this part of me?" Kuroko asked, and Akashi nodded. Kuroko looked at him carefully, searching for any signs of deceit before he let go of Akashi's wrist and closed his eyes again, but just before they fully closed, Akashi had caught the spark that had appeared in them.

He tenderly began to wipe the blood from Kuroko's body, taking care not to scrub to hard but enough for the blood to go away.

"If I broke orders, what would you do?" Kuroko asked, and Akashi paused, holding Kuroko's arm which he was wiping.

"I do not believe that you would go against me unless it was for a good reason." Akashi said carefully, and Kuroko looked at him.

"So if the reason was good enough?" Akashi considered his answer, feeling like this was a test and should he fail, all the progress they had made so far would be shattered.

"You are your own person now Tetsuya, or at least that's what I'm aiming for. If you need to go against what I ask of you, then I might get upset depending on the situation, but I will try to understand." Akashi said carefully. "If I ask you something that you dislike, I will not punish you for saying so."

Kuroko stared at him, emotions that Akashi could decipher going through his eyes, and the hand holding his wrist trembled. Something cracked in those eyes, and Kuroko closed them before bowing his head, tears hidden by the water pouring down.

"Thank you." Kuroko whispered, letting Akashi's wrist go. Akashi watched him solemnly before he continued to wash the blood away. There was nothing sexual about the way he softly ran the cloth down Kuroko's body; the situation was too serious for it to be.

Akashi nodded in satisfaction when Kuroko was clean, his skin a soft clean pink. He turned off the water and passed a towel over to Kuroko, who stared at it numbly before mechanically drying himself off and then wrapping it around his waist, Akashi doing the same.

They both left the bathroom and went to Akashi's bedroom, a dog's bark forcing Akashi to slightly grimace. He walked over to his closet and threw Kuroko a pair of boxers and shorts to wear to bed, having stored some of Kuroko's clothes in his room.

"Are you up for dinner?" Akashi asked as Kuroko pulled them on. The smaller boy shook his head. Akashi had to admit, he didn't have much of an appetite either. "Would you like to sleep?"

"Yes." Kuroko replied, and Akashi nodded as he began to walk away, but the boy suddenly touched his arm, stopping him. "Will you sleep with me again?"

Akashi looked at Kuroko's eyes which held a bit of insecurity, and he nodded. They both got into the futon, and much to his surprise, Kuroko curled around him. He didn't know what was going on, why Kuroko was acting so out of character, but he didn't think he would get any answers if he asked. He wasn't even sure if Kuroko knew.

He wrapped his arms around Kuroko who had fallen asleep nearly instantly and then grimaced as the dog curled up by their feet. He prayed to god that the mutt at least knew better than to pee in his room, or Kuroko be damned, he would slice the dog up with his swords.

Akashi shot the dog a glare before looking at Kuroko and sighing, the image of Kuroko in the warehouse still fresh in his mind. Still, even after seeing him like that, Akashi didn't feel any fear, especially looking at him now, sleeping peacefully like a kid.

It wasn't Kuroko's fault either since it had been Haizaki who had made him into this. Obviously, there were going to be cracks in Kuroko's psyche.

Akashi sighed as he ran a hand through Kuroko's hair and closed his eyes. Whatever problems Kuroko had, they would deal with it along the way; there was no point in worrying about it beforehand.


	10. Chapter 10

Wonderfully beta'd by AokazuSei

* * *

><p><em>Kuroko giggled happily as he hugged his mother's leg as she sat in her favorite chair, humming his favorite lullaby, her blue eyes sparkling as she smiled at her little child. <em>

"_Mama!" Kuroko called, lifting his arms up, and she, deciding to indulge his request, picked him up and set him on her lap, her long blue hair tickling him. Kuroko rested his head against his mother's chest, feeling it vibrate as she continued to hum, his blue eyes closing drowsily. _

"_Mama, why do we keep moving?" Kuroko asked quietly, and the humming stopped as his mother looked down at him sadly. _

"_A very bad man is looking for me." His mother said softly. "I used to do bad work for him, but then I got pregnant, and so I ran away." _

"_We'll be okay together." Kuroko said as he sensed his mother's mood turn sad. He lightly tugged on her long soft blue hair, and she smiled, leaning down and bumping her forehead with his. _

"_Yes, we'll be okay because I have you." She said and Kuroko smiled. _

_The smile slowly faded as his mouth dropped open in horror, his eyes widening, and his tiny body freezing as a bloody hole appeared in his mother's forehead, even as she still smiled and looked down at him lovingly. _

_He screamed and fell off her lap, scrambling backward until he fell off as she continued to follow him with her eyes. Blood poured out of the hole, trailing down her porcelain skin to her chin where it dripped onto her lap. _

"_Tetsuya, what's wrong?" His mother asked with a tilted head. Kuroko shook his head wildly, his mouth opening and closing, his hands digging into the ground. _

_He scrambled onto his feet and ran out of the room and into a long hallway, one which he couldn't see an end to. He kept running and running but, no end appeared. _

_Kuroko looked back and screamed as he saw blood ooze out of the walls, falling to the ground to make a pool that was trailing after him. He tried to run faster, but the blood was catching up to him. _

"_Someone help me, please!" Kuroko screamed just as the blood reached his feet and began trailing up his legs. Kuroko fell down, and he frantically tried to wipe the blood off, but it kept slowly trailing up, reaching his stomach traveling up his torso. _

_Suddenly hot breath was breathed right beside his ear. "You will never escape."_

_Kuroko felt something go around his neck, and he reached up and felt the rough fabric of a dog collar. He tried to grab it, rip it off, but the material was too strong. The blood traveled up his neck, creeping onto his face and when he opened his mouth to scream for help, it entered him. He tasted the iron as blood poured into his mouth, dripping down his throat, making him choke. _

_The blood kept on going, reaching his nose and entering it, coming in too thick that he couldn't breathe. Kuroko struggled for air as laughs entered his ear. Tears poured out of his eyes from the pain, wishing someone could help him. _

"_You didn't save me Kuroko, so now we'll both drown in blood." Said a familiar male's voice in his ear._

* * *

><p>Kuroko's eyes snapped open as his hands immediately went to his mouth, stifling screams that threatened to escape, tears coming out of his eyes. He took deep breathes through his nose, calming himself down, using the warm strong arms wrapped around him as an anchor.<p>

Slowly, his breathing began to calm and he let his mouth go and took a deep shuddering breath. He violently rubbed his eyes and face of any traces of tears before he stared at the wall in front of him blankly.

He hadn't had a nightmare that bad for years now, ever since Haizaki had successfully broken him, and it had been even longer since he had a dream about his mother. It was to the point that he hadn't even remembered what she looked like until he saw her in that nightmare. And that voice…

Kuroko squeezed his eye closed and carefully pushed himself backwards into the body spooning him, letting Akashi's warmth seep into him. The redhead shifted slightly, and the arms around Kuroko tightened.

It was comforting to be wrapped in the arms of a man who accepted him even after…yesterday. Kuroko wasn't completely sure what had happened. That…fury had just gone through him and had completely consumed him. It scared him. But, Akashi still accepted him.

Kuroko didn't know how much time passed as he basked in Akashi's warmth, too wired to go back to sleep, but it was too soon when Akashi's breathing changed rhythm. The redhead mumbled as he buried his head into Kuroko's hair, grumbling grumpily.

Finally giving up on fighting the inevitable, Akashi sighed and sat up, rubbing his eyes as Kuroko watched him. It would seem that Akashi was not a morning person.

"Good morning, Tetsuya." Akashi mumbled, nearly incoherently, and he frowned as he focused his eyes on Kuroko.

"Good morning, Akashi-sama." Kuroko replied, blinking when Akashi continued frowning at him.

"How on Earth did you get your hair to do that?" Akashi asked as he reached forward to comb through Kuroko's hair which, deciding to defy gravity, was sticking up every which way. Kuroko closed his eyes and relaxed at Akashi's fingers gently weaving through his hair, feeling soothed by the sensation.

"There." Akashi said gruffly, and Kuroko's eyes opened to see the redhead looking at him approvingly. With a yawn, Akashi stumbled out of the futon and went to his closet to put on a suit since he was planning to go to his office.

Kuroko blinked when he saw a huge tattoo etched into Akashi's skin, covering almost the entire expanse of his back. It was a huge red spiraling dragon, its front claws gripping Teiko's Japanese characters while its back claws created the illusion that they were digging into Akashi's back, beads of blood coming out where the nails dug in. It's head resembled a lion's, framed by a fiery mane, slitted red eyes that seemed to glare right at Kuroko and an open snarling jaw with sharp teeth.

Almost against his will, Kuroko found himself walking over to Akashi, who paused and looked over his shoulder curiously as Kuroko traced the dragon with a cold finger.

"This is the tattoo that all Teiko leaders must bare. My mother bore the same mark, and I received it when I was ten as her heir to the gang." Akashi explained as Kuroko pressed his hand against the dragon and dragged it down, almost expecting to feel the bump of the scales, the tattoo looked so real.

The skin under his hand shuddered, and Kuroko blinked and moved away, dropping his hand and looking away in slight embarrassment. Akashi gave him an amused look as he pulled on his ironed black suit pants.

"I have to go to my office building, but you are welcome to come with me if you wish." Akashi said as he slipped on a white dress shirt and buttoned it up.

"I would like to go with you Akashi-sama." Kuroko replied softly, not willing to be alone, having felt uneasy since his nightmare. Akashi nodded as he tied a tie around his neck and pulled on a black suit jacket, resembling many business men, although Kuroko found that he preferred it when Akashi wore a kimono.

Akashi eyed Kuroko carefully, glad to see that Kuroko seemed back to normal as if yesterday hadn't happened but knowing that it would probably come up again sooner or later. There was no way Kuroko could be fully over it.

"I warn you, it will be dull there." Akashi warned, and Kuroko nodded sharply. He had spent most of his days in a cage before, how boring could sitting in an office be? "Well, let's go eat breakfast before we leave."

Kuroko nodded as he followed Akashi out of the room and to the dining room where an American meal awaited them. There were fluffy yellow eggs, crispy bacon and perfectly toasted toast.

They both ate quietly, both lost in their own thoughts. Akashi was running through his schedule in his head, reminding himself of the meetings he would have to attend and the phone calls he would have to make, while Kuroko was back to thinking of his dream, more specifically his mother.

"We should get going. Ryouta and Daiki should be finished with their breakfast by now." Akashi said as he looked at his watch, and Kuroko nodded and followed him out the room and out of the house. Akashi, stopping a maid, had asked her to look after the dog they had gotten yesterday while they were gone.

Aomine and Kise were waiting outside by the limo both bowing their heads in a greeting which Akashi returned as they entered the limo.

"Kurokocchi!" Kise said happily, far too energetic for the morning, and by the slight grimace on Aomine and Akashi's face, they agreed.

"-cchi?" Kuroko said with a slight frown, and Aomine rolled his eyes.

"He adds –cchi to whoever he respects, and after you protected Akashi, he's decided that you're someone he respects." Aomine explained in an annoyed voice, and Kise smiled, his eyes wrinkling happily.

"How did dealing with Kazuhiro go?" Akashi asked, and Kise calmed down, a serious look on his face.

"We sliced him up and dumped him somewhere where he would be found. It should be in the papers today." Aomine replied.

"I spread rumors that he had tried to murder you and that you killed him in retaliation." Kise added and Akashi nodded approvingly. This wouldn't be the last assassination attempt on his life, but it would be a while before there was another one.

They arrived at his business building, an impressive ten story building with bustling people in suits and uniforms coming in and out. As they made their way inside, almost everyone they passed bowed to Akashi who would stop and greet a few people here and there.

They went to the very top floor where they arrived in a typical western like office with a large wooden oak desk in front of a huge window that nearly made up the entire wall, shelves of books lining the side walls and a couple of comfy couches against the wall.

Akashi sat down behind his desk while Aomine and Kise took their place on the couch, the three of them used to this routine while Kuroko looked between the couch and Akashi consideringly. Much to Akashi's surprise, he thought Kuroko would sit on a couch, the boy decided to sit by his feet with his head lying on Akashi's thigh like he did at Akashi's home study except Akashi was sitting on a chair, and the large desk hid Kuroko from view.

Akashi ran a hand through Kuroko's hair before he started work. Kuroko dozed off for most of the time, idly listening in to phone calls and meetings with people about things he didn't understand, Akashi's voice soothing him. Every so often, Kise and Aomine would start bickering, which would give him some form of amusement.

The work day was nearing an end when the door opened, grabbing everyone's attention as Akashi didn't have any more appointments scheduled. Kuroko heard two pairs of feet walk over towards the redhead. Kuroko used his ability and stood up to face the men.

One was a tall, well-built man with kind eyes and large eyes, wearing a suit that somehow looked odd on him, like he was meant for more casual wear. The second man had strict glasses covered eyes and he stood up straight.

"Hello, my name is Hyuuga, and this is Kiyoshi." The man in glasses said stiffly.

"Seeing as you're in my office, you already know who I am. A pleasure to meet you." Akashi said pleasantly, but his hand traced the pocket his gun was in; Kuroko could see Kise and Aomine subtly pointing guns at the newcomers.

"We've come on behalf of our gang leader, Riko of Seirin, who wishes to have a meeting with you." Hyuuga said, and Akashi placed his elbows on his desk and interlaced his fingers together.

"What business does she have with me?" Akashi asked, and Kiyoshi smiled kindly.

"She just wishes to discuss turfs." He said, and Akashi's eyes narrowed dangerously. Seirin was a somewhat recently formed gang that resided mostly in the lower parts of Japan that Akashi didn't have control over. Riko, most likely, was hoping to get a bigger chunk of territory which would collide with Akashi.

"I will meet her, so long as the meeting takes place here, in my office." Akashi said, not willing to visit enemy territory where he could be ambushed. Hyuuga opened his mouth as if to complain, but Kiyoshi interrupted him.

"Of course that's acceptable. Will you be able to meet with her next week?" Kiyoshi asked kindly, and Akashi nodded.

"I am free next Wednesday at 2pm." Akashi said, and Kiyoshi nodded while Hyuuga looked irritated, probably due to the fact that Seirin territory and Akashi's office was pretty far away.

"Thank you." Kiyoshi said as he bowed politely before the two left. Akashi's eyes trailed after them until the door closed behind them. He closely listened to their footsteps that slowly faded away.

"Why did you agree to meet with Seirin?" Kise asked curiously. "They're just going to ask for more territory."

"There's no point in having a turf war over something so small." Akashi replied. "I don't mind giving them some of my territory to avoid a war."

"We'd crush them." Aomine grunted disapprovingly, and Akashi nodded thoughtfully.

"Still, if we are able to do this diplomatically, that would be better." Akashi said, and Aomine shrugged carelessly.

"Will you be bringing anyone else?" Kise asked, and Akashi hummed in thought as Kuroko settled back down to his earlier position.

"No, I think you three should be enough. They won't be able to bring enough of their gang members into this building to force me to bring anyone else here." Akashi mused as he leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through Kuroko's hair. "Daiki and Ryouta, please go and check that they really have left and tail them to see where they are staying."

"Yes sir." They both said before they slunk out of the room. Akashi relaxed and ran a hand through his hair, his wary eyes looking down at Kuroko who was looking up at him with traces of concern.

"Come here." Akashi ordered, forcing Kuroko into his lap so he was straddling him, and he rested his head into Kuroko's shoulder. Kuroko blinked in surprise before he slowly ran a hand through Akashi's hair just like the redhead had done for him, hoping that it would have the same calming effect.

"Akashi-kun?" Kuroko asked with concern, and Akashi leaned back slightly as he looked at Kuroko.

"It's fine." Akashi said, but Kuroko could see the tired lines on his face.

"You control Teiko and businesses?" Kuroko asked softly with a small tilt of his head, wanting to learn more about what Akashi did, so he could understand his stress better.

"Yes, I inherited Teiko from my mother and inherited several companies from my father." Akashi replied.

"How…how does running Teiko work?" Kuroko asked cautiously, and Akashi quirked an eyebrow at Kuroko's uncharacteristic boldness, not that he minded it.

"Well, I own a huge part of Japan, but I can hardly keep an eye on it all by myself, so I have branch leaders who live in different sections who regularly report to me. Their names are Kotaro Hayama, Reo Mibuchi, Eikichi Nebuya, Eiji Shirogane, and Kozo Shirogane. You might meet them one day when we have a meeting."

Kuroko nodded in understanding, and Akashi gave him a soft smile before eyeing the pile of papers sitting on his desk over Kuroko's shoulder.

"Do…do you think that Seirin will be a problem?" Kuroko asked, and Akashi chuckled.

"No, not too much. If they decided to try to go to war with us, Teiko will demolish them, but no matter how one-sided a war is, it's still a messy business, so I would prefer to avoid one if possible. What did you think of those two?" Kuroko hesitated before cautiously replying.

"I think they are kind people." He said, and Akashi nodded.

"I do not think they will want a war either, so hopefully this matter will be cleared up easily." Akashi said, and Kuroko nodded, watching as the redhead leaned his head back and closed his eyes to rest them for a moment making Kuroko suddenly become aware of just how close they were together.

His cheeks involuntarily flushed red, and suddenly, he felt weird warmth well up inside him. He fidgeted uncomfortably, and Akashi's eyes opened and looked at Kuroko, giving him a scrutinizing gaze.

"What's wrong, Tetsuya?" Akashi said with a bit of a teasing lilt, and Kuroko froze as intense eyes stared right into him.

"N-nothing, Akashi-sama." Kuroko said uncertainly, wondering what was wrong with him.

"Really?" Akashi asked as he leaned forward, their lips inches away, taking in Kuroko's flustered face. Kuroko opened his mouth but closed it again, their eyes staring into each other, a tension building threatening to burst with Akashi waiting for Kuroko to make the first move.

Kuroko's breath hitched as he lowered his eyelids and slowly began to lean in. Their lips met in a chaste kiss, but Kuroko tried to move away, scared of Akashi's reaction. A strong hand brought him back, and the redhead immediately deepened the kiss.

It was a different sort of kiss than the one they had in Kuroko's bedroom, it was more experimental than possessive as they both tentively explored each other, cautiously touching. They pulled apart with conflicted eyes, not sure where the other stood or what the feeling bubbling within them was or how to deal with it.

A knock on the door had Kuroko getting off of Akashi's lap in a rush, the redhead taking a calm breath before inviting the person in, a secretary who had even more paperwork for him to deal with while Kuroko sat by his feet, trying to calm his racing heartbeat.

* * *

><p>Kuroko stared at the dog who steadily stared back as Akashi watched them from over his desk with Kise and Aomine watched nearby. They had basically just gotten home from the office building, only to have Akashi needing to finish some more paperwork before bed. His bodyguards had come in to inform him of where Hyuuga and Kiyoshi were staying.<p>

Kuroko cautiously reached over to the dog that barked and licked his hand, making the boy flinch. He looked at his hand that the dog had licked in confusion while the dog wagged its curled tail and walked over to Kuroko, putting its tiny legs on his leg.

"I think it wants you to pet him!" Kise said as he kneeled beside them. Kuroko looked at Kise before turning to the dog, tentively placing his hand on the dog's soft head and rubbing it. The dog barked, and its tail wagged even harder. "When he wags his tail, it means he's happy!"

Kuroko looked at Kise in surprise before looking back at the dog that looked at Kuroko happily. He petted the dog with unsure hands, and the dog crawled up his lap making the boy fidget nervously.

"I can't believe you got a dog. You hate dogs." Aomine said from beside Akashi, and the redhead sighed as he continued to watch Kuroko.

"As long as it behaves, it should be fine. So far, it hasn't been so bad." Akashi replied.

"What are you going to name him?" Kise asked, and Kuroko looked at Kise with a tilted head and furrowed eyebrows. "You have to name him!"

"I don't understand." Kuroko said as he turned his gaze back at the dog who stared into his eyes. Kise blinked when he realized that the dog had the same exact eyes as Kuroko, although the dogs were a bit more expressive which struck him a bit odd.

"Why don't we name him Tetsuya #2? Or Nigou!" Kise said excitedly, and Kuroko blinked while Aomine rolled his eyes.

"Nigou?" Kuroko whispered to himself, and the dog barked happily.

"It likes the name!" Kise said, and Kuroko nodded in agreement. Akashi shook his head and went back to his paperwork. Leave it to Kise to come up with a ridiculous name.

"We got him dog food, a leash, and a few toys. It's all in your room." Kise said, and Kuroko nodded. "You have to feed him twice a day and walk him at least once a day."

"I understand." Kuroko said as he picked up the dog and hugged him close, frowning when Nigou licked his face. Akashi's cellphone rang, and he answered it, his tone suddenly turning serious and his face darkening. He hung up the phone with a sigh before looking at the three with a serious expression.

"Lately, there have been a lot of problems within our territory. It started with that human trafficking ring the other day, but then I have reports that a couple more have come up, and drug dealers are dealing drugs that are killing people." Akashi said with a sigh as he gestured to the papers on his desk with an annoyed glower.

"We can gather Teiko and get rid of them." Kise said, and Akashi sighed again.

"That isn't the direct issue. I have a feeling that there's someone behind this, trying to get my attention, and until we catch this person, these issues won't be resolved." Akashi said.

"You don't have any leads?"

"No, whoever is doing this is like a ghost. He isn't leaving any evidence to go on, as of yet. I've had Shintaro and Satsuki investigate, but they haven't found anything. I want you to go to these locations and eliminate everyone but one person who I want interrogated."

Kuroko hid his troubled expression by pressing his face against Nigou's fur. The grey colored hair flashed through his mind, and he shuddered. Nigou whined, making the other three look at him in concern.

"Tetsuya?" Akashi called, and Kuroko looked up, his face carefully blank.

"Yes, Akashi-kun?"

"Everything alright?"

"Yes, Akashi-kun." Kuroko replied blandly as he focused on Nigou, and Akashi gave him a scrutinizing look before turning back to his work.

**So this chapter wasn't originally supposed to go this way but the chapter I wrote before this was…I don't know it just seemed so out of place. Before Akashi had asked Kuroko to spend the day with Aomine and Kise in order to get to know them and they took him to the zoo. I've decided to post it here after the real chapter. Think of it as a deleted scene or a omake in a way. This does not have anything to do with the story line; in fact if you're not interested in it you can just skip it. **

**On another note the reason I did not put in Chihiro Mayuzumi in this chapter when Akashi mentioned branch leaders is because I have another role for him. **

"I expect you two to take care of Tetsuya." Akashi said with a commanding tone, and Aomine and Kise nodded sharply but nervously. Akashi eyed them both, reminding them somewhat of an overprotective mother, before he sighed and made his way to the waiting limo where the guards were waiting for him.

The trio watched him leave before they all stared at each other awkwardly. Aomine sighed and ran a hand through his short hair. "So…uh…"

"What would you like to do Kurokocchi?" Kise asked, and Kuroko looked at him blankly.

"Kurokocchi?" The boy asked with confusion, and Aomine snorted.

"He adds –cchi to the name of anyone he respects. It's fucking annoying if you ask me."

"So mean!" Kise said with a pout and crocodile tears that only made Aomine roll his eyes. Kuroko had a hard time believing that these two were Akashi's official bodyguards.

"Anyway! Seriously, what do you want to do Kurokocchi?" Kise asked again.

"I do not know." Kuroko replied, and the two looked a little put off.

"What do boys his age like to do?" Aomine asked Kise who pursed his lips in thought while Kuroko fought a sigh.

"They built a zoo way back, maybe we could go there?" Kise suggest, and Aomine grudgingly agreed. Kuroko, on the other hand, had no idea what a zoo was but agreed to go nonetheless since it would mean they would stop standing around with such awkward tension.

They got into a flashy red car, which turned out to be Kise's, and the blonde drove off. Now, Kuroko had been trained to not feel fear, but even he had to admit, he felt vaguely anxious when Kise nearly ran an old lady over.

Aomine laughed as he saw Kuroko sitting up completely straight, his body looking like he was about to bolt despite being in a car, his skin was paler than usual, which was a feat in itself, and his eyes were wide. "Don't worry, he hasn't kill anyone yet with his driving."

"I don't believe you." Kuroko said with a tight voice as Kise swerved a corner. Aomine laughed again while Kise pouted and turned to the back to look at Kuroko.

"So mean!" Kise wailed, and Kuroko clutched the door handle as if considering jumping out.

"Please keep your eyes on the road." Kuroko said, his voice raising a pitch. Perhaps Akashi wanted him dead and that's why he sent him with Kise and Aomine. Kise ran a red light, and a strangled noise escaped Kuroko's throat as he closed his eyes to escape the horror.

They got to the zoo rather quickly, the journey time cut in half due to Kise's reckless driving. Kuroko quickly got out of the car, breathing slightly harder and feeling vaguely nauseous. A heavy hand patted his back, and Kuroko looked up to see Aomine looking at him sympathetically.

"At least you didn't scream, that's a first." Aomine said with a chuckle. "I'll drive us home."

Kuroko nodded sharply although his eyes were grateful, and he looked at the place they were in front of. There was a funny smell in the air, and Kuroko could hear weird sounds coming from behind a huge sign with pictures of different animals.

With some trepidation, Kuroko followed behind Kise and Aomine beyond the gate, and his eyes widened when he saw hundreds of animals in huge cages.

"Where the fuck did he go now?!" Aomine yelled with exasperation as he ran around trying to catch a glimpse of blue hair.

"I don't know! Kurokocchi!" Kise yelled as he looked around. "He was with us between the aquarium and the reptile place!"

"So maybe he's by the lions again?" Aomine suggested frantically knowing that Akashi would kill them slowly if they lost the kid. "Why the fuck did we think it was a good idea to bring an invisible kid to the zoo?!"

"I thought it was a good idea okay?! KUROKOCCHI!"

"I'm right here." Both Aomine and Kise yelled and jumped when Kuroko appeared between them.

"Where were you?" Aomine shouted, and Kuroko looked at him impassively.

"A monkey waved at me." Kuroko said bluntly, and Aomine facepalmed while Kise sighed in relief before hugging Kuroko who froze, his eyes widening in surprise.

"I was so worried!" Kise wailed, and Kuroko, who was too shocked by the contact, didn't reply. Aomine rolled his eyes and pulled Kise off of Kuroko, who relaxed.

"Alright so we've pretty much seen everything right?" Aomine said as he looked around to see if there were any enclosures they missed.

"I think so." Kise said as he also looked around. They both nodded and looked to where Kuroko was, only to see that he was gone… again.

"FUCK!"

Kuroko looked around the store curiously, having been pulled in by the colorful stuffed animals he had seen at the front window. He wandered through the aisles of colorful knick knacks, considering getting something for Akashi who Kuroko wished was there with him.

He was looking through keychains when a man decked in black with a matching black mask barged in with a gun in his hand. His eyes, which could be seen through the eye holes, were blood shot and wavering.

"Everyone freeze! This is a holdup!" The man yelled, slurring slightly. Kuroko idly thought that it was an odd place to try to rob as he moved to a different aisle. The person behind the counter raised her hands in surrender while the few customers in the store froze in fear.

Kuroko walked down the aisle, frowning when he saw nothing that would interest Akashi. He passed the robber who turned his gun to the boy.

"I said freeze!" The man shouted, and Kuroko looked at the gun pointing at him and went back looking through the store. "I'll shoot!"

The man tapped Kuroko in the head with the gun, and the boy turned around and looked the man in the eye.

"If you wish to shoot, I suggest you take the safety off." Kuroko said softly, and the man's eyes widened as he looked at the gun. Kuroko sighed as he pointed to the safety which the man pulled back with a click and pointed back at the boy who looked at it passively.

"Now freeze or I'll shoot!" Kuroko stared at the shaking gun, doubtful that the man could even shoot straight. Still, it would be inconvenient to Akashi if he were to die.

So, with a small sigh, Kuroko walked up to the man, tilting his head to avoid the bullet the man shot, and with a fluid movement, he grabbed the hand holding the gun, twisting until he dropped the gun. He slammed the butt of it against the man's temple, and he fell to the ground unconscious.

Kuroko looked at the gun he was holding and gave it to the person managing the counter before leaving the store, disappointed that he was unable to get Akashi something.

"There you are!" Aomine shouted as he grabbed Kuroko's arm. "No more running off!"

"My apologies." Kuroko said monotonously, and Kise blinked when he heard commotion in a nearby store.

"What happened in there?" Kise asked out loud, and Kuroko looked back at the store.

"A man tried to kill me, so I knocked him out." Kuroko replied bluntly before he began walking away. The two bodyguards shared a look of complete exasperation, wondering how Akashi put up with Kuroko.


	11. Chapter 11

Wonderfully beta'd by AokazuSei

* * *

><p>"<em>He's dead." Kuroko stated as he stared at the body of a big man, his chest full of missed slashes that were aimed for his throat and heart, a puddle of blood forming under him. "He's dead."<em>

_Haizaki sauntered over him and snapped a black collar around his neck before patting him on the back. Kuroko fell onto his knees and shook the body, willing it to get up. _

"_He's dead." Kuroko repeated, and Haizaki laughed and shook his head. _

"_Your first kill. You should be proud!" Haizaki said. "I'll even give you a treat later."_

"_He's dead." _

"_It's a dog eat dog world, Kuroko, are you going to be the dog that gets eaten or the dog that eats and lives?" Haizaki asked. Kuroko brought his shaky bloodstained hands to his face, staring at them with wide eyes. _

"_He's dead." Haizaki frowned and yanked Kuroko to his feet by the collar around his neck. _

"_He's dead you little shit. It was you or him, and you won." Haizaki snarled. "Now I order you to snap the fuck out of it." _

"_He's..." Before Kuroko could finish his sentence Haizaki backhanded him, sending his tiny body crashing to the floor._

"_Get up." Kuroko obediently stood up on his feet and looked up at Haizaki, staring at the man with wide eyes. "You're a better fighter than __**he**__ is, so I need you to snap out of it and get used to this. Do you understand?" _

"_Yes." Kuroko replied blandly, but his hands still shook. _

"_Good, let's get you back into your cage." Kuroko nodded, eager to get back to __**him**__ since __**he**__ would be waiting. _

_They went back to the room with the cage, but it was empty. Kuroko frowned as he ran forward and clutched the bars, looking around frantically. _

"_Where are you? Why aren't you here?" Kuroko cried, shaking the bars. _

_Suddenly, arms wrapped around him and a head rested on his shoulder, a mouth breathing hot air into his ear. Kuroko tried to turn his head, but his body was suddenly frozen, and he couldn't move. _

"_You abandoned me remember?" The mouth said, and Kuroko tried to speak, but no words came out. "You betrayed me." _

"_I'm sorry." Kuroko suddenly wasn't a little kid anymore, but the arms still wrapped around him. "I'm sorry."_

"_You betrayed me little Tetsuya. May you drown in the blood that you've spilt." The arms disappeared, and Kuroko turned around but nobody was in the room. _

_Suddenly, there were loud cracking sounds, and the walls around him began to crack. Blood began to pour out of the walls, filling the room with the thick red liquid. Kuroko ran to the door and tried to open it, but the doorknob refused to turn. He tried kicking the door open, but no matter what he did, the door didn't budge._

"_Someone help!" Kuroko yelled as he slammed his fists against it as the blood began to rapidly rise. _

"_Look at all the blood you've spilt." Kuroko frantically looked around, and his eyes landed on Haizaki's desk which he immediately ran to it and began opening the drawers which were empty. He thrust his hand into a desk and frowned when he felt something wrap around his fingers. _

_When he pulled his hand out he shuddered when he saw strands of silver hair wrapped around his fingers, and his entire body trembled as his eyes widened. _

_Arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him into the blood. Kuroko struggled as the blood invaded his lungs. He couldn't breathe. He felt a body wrap around him pulling him deeper and deeper…_

* * *

><p>Akashi grumbled to himself as he buried his head in the pillow, trying to fall back asleep but to no avail. His internal clock wouldn't allow it even if it wasn't a day where he had to go to the office. He finally sat up when he heard an odd scuffling sound outside his room.<p>

The redhead frowned when he saw that Kuroko wasn't beside him, and with a groan, he got out of bed and put on his favorite red kimono before sliding open his door revealing Kuroko playing with Nigou, bed head and all.

"Good morning, Akashi-kun." Kuroko greeted.

"Good morning, Tetsuya. Bedhead as usual I see." Akashi commented as he began to comb through Kuroko's hair with his fingers while wondering how Kuroko's hair got into such a mess when the boy didn't move around in his sleep. "How long have you been up?"

"Not too long." Kuroko said as he threw a small ball for Nigou to catch and carry back. Akashi hummed.

"Would you like to take Nigou for a walk? It would give you a chance to get to know the neighborhood." Akashi suggested, and Kuroko nodded as he went to his room and changed into one of the outfits Momoi had gotten him and grabbed the leash that Kise had given him.

"Will you come with me?" Kuroko asked, and Akashi hesitated.

"Unfortunately, I still have too much paperwork to do since there's going to be a company merge. My apologies." Kuroko nodded, and Akashi ruffled his hair. "Be safe and be back soon."

"Yes, Akashi-kun." Kuroko said as he clipped the leash to Nigou's collar. He looked at Akashi one last time before he left the house.

He walked through the neighborhood with Nigou prancing around his feet and sniffing everywhere. Most of the area consisted of big grand houses, although none as grand as Akashi's. The people walking about turned their noses up at him as if sensing he was beneath them, so Kuroko kept his head down and watched Nigou who trotted about happily.

They arrived on a main road full of traffic and stores, and Kuroko was about to turn back ,but Nigou tugged forward, entranced by all the new smells, so Kuroko indulged him even though he would have rather avoided crowds.

There were a lot of stores around selling a bunch of different stuff like clothes and foods. Even though Kuroko was uncomfortable being by so many people, he had to admit it was interesting to look through all the windows.

Kuroko was passing by an alley when he saw a lady about to be assaulted by a couple of men. He wanted to keep walking, not gather any attention onto himself as he had been trained to do, but something in him wanted to help her.

"Stay." Kuroko commanded Nigou, making him feel a bit odd for some reason, perhaps because it was usually him getting orders, before running into the alley. The lady was just about to scream for help when Kuroko slammed the first guys face right into the wall, effectively breaking his nose.

The second guy whirled around and was about to punch him, but Kuroko's body was already prepared to counterattack. Suddenly, another person punched the man in the face, making Kuroko blink in surprise as he spun his body and kicked the first man in the stomach when he stood up to attack.

The newcomer was a big guy, practically towering over Kuroko. He had red hair similar to Akashi's except his had black ends, fiery fierce red eyes and odd eyebrows the split into two. He wore casual clothing that was slightly baggy, but Kuroko could still make out his muscles.

Kuroko refocused his attention back to the first guy, leaving the second to the newcomer, and he grabbed the head and slammed it twice against the wall, effectively knocking him out. The tall redhead punched the second guy in the face repeatedly before throwing his entire body into a wall face first, knocking him out as well.

"You should call the police…Ma'am." The man said with a gruff voice, and the woman thanked both of them repeatedly. Though, Kuroko walked off in the middle, not really wanting or needing any thanks. He went back to Nigou who had obediently waited for him. He was about to walk away when the redhead came out of the alley and walked to him. "Oi, what's your name?"

"…Kuroko." He answered shortly, shifting his weight from foot to foot, and the man nodded.

"Name is Kagami, nice to meet you. Brave thing you did back there, why don't I treat you to a vanilla shake as thanks." The man offered, and Kuroko eyed him carefully, a part of him intrigued because he could tell Kagami was a strong person.

"OK." Kuroko said and trailed after Kagami who started walking off.

"So, why did a kid like you help her?" Kagami asked. "I mean someone your age shouldn't be getting themselves in dangerous situations. I mean how old are you? 12? 13?"

"…16." Kuroko corrected, pouting just the tiniest bit, and Kagami looked at him in surprise before falling silent, studying Kuroko who took the opportunity to do the same. Kuroko was a good judge of character when it came to fighters. He could recognize their strength through their eyes, which would reveal their determination; by the intense look in his eyes couple by the display in the alley, Kuroko could tell he was a decent fighter at the very least.

Kuroko followed him to a restaurant that had a huge sign, Maji Burger in large letters. Kuroko waited outside with Nigou as Kagami went in before he petting Nigou idly as he waited, wondering how long he should wait before heading back. He was unsure how long dog walks were supposed to be, and all Akashi had said was 'come back soon' which didn't tell him much.

Kuroko bit his bottom lip just as Kagami walked out, carrying two beverages, one of which he handed to Kuroko who studied it intently before tentively sipping it. He immediately perked up, his eyes widening a little at the delicious taste that invaded his mouth. It was _good. _The first thing he could honestly say he liked without having to think about it first.

"So, do you live around here?" Kagami asked, and Kuroko's eyes narrowed at the rather personal question.

"Yes." Kuroko replied as his hand tightened around Nigou's leash, and Kagami nodded thoughtfully as he looked around.

"I'm just visiting for a couple weeks for a business meeting. I actually live really far away, and it was a pain in the ass to come all the way here." Kagami said as he ran a hand through his hair. Kuroko looked at Kagami who looked anything but a business man.

"Thank you for the shake, but I must be going." Kuroko said with a small bow, and Kagami nodded.

"Alright see you around! Don't get into any more trouble." Kagami said sternly, and Kuroko nodded sharply before walking off, heading home.

Thankfully, there weren't any more incidents, and he made it back safely. He put away Nigou's leash, still sipping his beverage, before he went to Akashi's study where he knew the redhead would be. He knocked and entered when Akashi invited him in.

"How was your walk?" Akashi asked, looking up and frowning at the drink in Kuroko's hand.

"Good. I like vanilla milkshakes." Kuroko said as he showed Akashi the container as he sat down beside him.

"How did you get it?" Akashi asked suspiciously, and Kuroko tilted his head at the look.

"Someone bought it for me." Kuroko replied as he sipped it again, and Akashi took a deep breath.

"You accepted a drink from a stranger?" Akashi asked with traces of exasperation, and Kuroko frowned. "I would like it if you didn't talk to strangers, nevermind accept things from them Tetsuya."

"Why?" Kuroko asked hesitantly, curiosity winning over silence. Akashi closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, not quite believing he was having a conversation that even a child would know.

"Because, you could have been kidnapped, or worse, Tetsuya. For all you know, that drink could have been drugged." Akashi explained slowly and patiently, and Kuroko frowned at the drink in his hand.

"He didn't seem like that kind of person." Kuroko said quietly, but his head bowed apologetically.

"Just be more careful." Akashi said, and Kuroko nodded, but with a bit of a forlorn look. Akashi sighed and ruffled his hair a bit and Kuroko leaned into the touch. Without any warning, Akashi suddenly laid down so his head was resting on Kuroko's lap, the boy freezing with his arms in the air, unsure of what to do.

"Ah, Akashi-kun?" Kuroko asked warily, and Akashi looked up at him in amusement, taking pleasure in Kuroko's flustered state.

"I'm a bit tired; lend me your lap for a bit." Akashi said teasingly, and Kuroko made a confused noise in his throat as the redhead closed his eyes that had bags under them.

After a few minutes of keeping his arms in the air, unsure where exactly to place them, Kuroko slowly and cautiously placed on arm on Akashi's chest and he slowly began to weave his hand through Akashi's hair in imitation of what Akashi did for him.

A memory of his mother flashed through Kuroko's mind suddenly. How she would sing his favorite song whenever he was tired or in need of calming down like Akashi was right now. With a large amount of nervousness, Kuroko opened his mouth and began to sing the song she would sing to him, surprised that he could even remember the words.

Akashi's eyes opened in surprise when Kuroko began to sing with a slightly feminine voice, though it was very soothing to his ears. Kuroko's eyes had a nostalgic look to them before he closed them again to listen to the song.

Mid pleasures and palaces though I may roam,  
>Be it ever, so humble, there's no place like home;<br>A charm from the sky seems to hallow us there,  
>Which, seek thro' the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere. Home.<p>

Home! Sweet, sweet home!  
>There's no place like home.<br>There's no place like home.

To thee, I'll return, overburdened with care,  
>The heart's dearest solace will smile on me there.<br>No more from that cottage again will I roam,  
>Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.<p>

Kuroko finished singing and closed his eyes as different conflicting emotions went through him, but a large part of him was glad that he hadn't completely forgotten her even though he had locked up his memories of her deep inside himself until recently.

"That was beautiful." Akashi said softly, his eyes half lidded. "Where did you learn that song?"

"My mother used to sing it to me." Kuroko answered quietly as he continued to thread his fingers through Akashi's hair. The redhead's expression turned a bit serious.

"How much do you remember of her?" Akashi asked, and Kuroko tilted his head slightly.

"Just the song." Kuroko said although that wasn't the complete truth, but he didn't want to relive her death by telling Akashi. It was enough remembering the song. Akashi didn't look like he fully believed his lie, his golden eye seeming to flash, but Akashi let it go and closed his eyes and dozed off for a bit.

Nearly an hour went by when there was a knock on the door, and Akashi sat up, rubbed his eyes of any sign of drowsiness, before he invited the person in.

Momoi entered the room with folders in her arms and a serious look on her face. She passed the folders to Akashi who shuffled through them with a serious expression.

"Tell me everything." He ordered her, and she nodded as she stood up straight.

"Seirin is a quickly growing gang, controlling the Chugoku and Shikoku regions. They don't seem to be a particularly violent gang, but if it came to a gang war it would be messy especially since there's another gang's turf between Seirin and Teiko.

"Riko Aida is the creator of Seirin, and her branch leaders, which will likely be at the meeting, are Kiyoshi Teppei, Junpei Hyuuga, Shun Izuki and Taiga Kagami. I have checked the security feeds of the airports, and it would seem that they have all flown in to here in preparation of the meeting."

Kuroko blinked at Kagami's name, but he doubted that it was the same Kagami; after all, it wasn't exactly an uncommon name. Although…he did say he had come in for a business meeting…Still, until Kuroko knew for sure, he would keep quiet.

"Thank you Satsuki." Akashi said dismissively, and she beamed with pride before leaving the room, sliding the door behind her.

Akashi started reading the papers in the folders, memorizing everything that he thought was important or could use as blackmail if needed, with a stern serious look. Kuroko tried to peak over his shoulder to look over the papers, but he couldn't understand it.

"Will everything be ok?" He finally asked, and Akashi nodded.

"It's as you said, they are kind people." Akashi said, but there were traces of derision in his voice that had Kuroko frowning in confusion. "Kind people are ill-suited for leadership, particularly of gangs."

"I don't understand." Kuroko said bluntly, and Akashi sighed as he put the papers down and focused his attention on Kuroko.

"When you're a gang leader, you have to be tough, and you have to be prepared to shed blood for the sake of your gang in order to protect it. If you're kind, it's a lot harder to do, and you're less liable to do what needs to be done. In the underworld, kind people tend to die." Akashi explained, and Kuroko nodded, but the confusion was still there because to him…Akashi was a kind person.

Still, Kuroko kept his mouth shut, and Akashi went back to his research. After a couple of hours, Akashi set down the papers with a tired sigh before turning to Kuroko. "Please get Ryouta and Daiki here."

"Yes, Akashi-kun." Kuroko said before swiftly leaving the room and going down the hallway. He checked both their room, which were empty, before going to the entertainment room with all the video games which was also curiously empty.

"Oh, are you looking for Aomine and Kise?" A maid asked, and Kuroko nodded hesitantly. "They should be downstairs in the gym."

Kuroko frowned. He had explored the entire house, but he never found a staircase that led downstairs, only ones that led up. The maid chuckled good-naturedly. "Why don't I show you?"

"Thank you." Kuroko said, and she smiled at him tenderly before she led him through the hallways until she came to a door that Kuroko must have missed. He thanked her again before opening it and walking down the stairs behind it.

When he reached the floor, there were three doors in front of him, one of which the sound of squeaking shoes was coming from, but out of curiosity Kuroko checked the other two first.

The first one led to a huge indoor pool, complete with an actual diving board, and the second was a weight room full of various weights and exercise machines. Kuroko opened the third door to reveal a huge gym where Kise and Aomine were currently playing basketball.

"Excuse me." Kuroko called out, but the two were so absorbed in their game that they didn't hear him. Kuroko tried to call them with a louder voice but was ignored.

So, with a bit of indignation from being so blatantly ignored, Kuroko used his ability and swiftly got between the two players and with a swift open palmed punch, he slammed the ball away from them.

"Oi!" Aomine said in surprise, and Kise blinked.

"I called you twice." Kuroko said, and both of them yelped when he suddenly appeared.

"Kurokocchi!"

"Tetsu, when did you get here?!"

"Not long. Akashi-kun wants you." Kuroko said shortly, and the two nodded as they wiped the sweat from their faces.

"Hey, you know, with your ability, you could play basketball." Aomine said thoughtfully, and Kise agreed.

"I don't think that would work." Kuroko replied bluntly although he tilted his head thoughtfully as they walked up the stairs and went through the hallways. They entered the room, and Kuroko immediately sat back down beside Akashi who thanked him.

"What's up boss?" Aomine asked, and Akashi handed him the folder.

"I want you two to memorize that. I want to be prepared for this upcoming meeting." Akashi said seriously and the two nodded.

"We'll be ready."

* * *

><p>The song is Home Sweet Home by Erutan (katethegreat19) She has a lovely singing voice you should check her out on youtube!<p>

(Sei: I can attest to the song. It's really lovely.)


	12. Chapter 12

_Wonderfully beta'd by AokazuSei_

* * *

><p><em>Kuroko felt himself cracking like broken glass. It was too much. He couldn't go on. He didn't want to go on. <em>

_He dragged himself out of the house, the owner dead in his room by his own hands, and he sat on the lawn just staring at his hands. He didn't want to do this. _

_Everyday a piece of him fell away, and Kuroko found himself feeling more hollow with every death. Memories of his mother pained him too much, so he locked away every memory related to her in anyway, to keep his sanity. He couldn't remember her yet doing so broke something in him. _

_He wasn't strong like __**him, **__who seemed so mentally strong and unbroken. It was only because of __**him **__that Kuroko wasn't broken yet despite all of Haizaki's efforts, but Kuroko didn't know how much longer he could hold out. _

_A black collar was snapped around him, and Kuroko felt a devastating emptiness flood through him, wiping away any emotions even though he struggled to keep a grasp on them, but soon, everything seemed so much duller. _

"_Someone help me." Kuroko whispered as he curled up into a ball. _

_**Crack.**_

_Kuroko gasped when a crack appeared in his skin, a long dark jagged line that cut through his hand. No blood came out. _

_**Crack. Crack. Crack.**_

_Cracks began to appear all over his body, slowly tearing him apart, and Kuroko's breathing quickened as he hugged himself trying to keep himself together. The cracks deepened, and bits began to fall off, disappearing before it hit the ground. Kuroko screamed in desperation. _

_A white collar appeared around his face, gagging him, cutting off his voice. Suddenly something, a body he later noticed, leaned against his back, and Kuroko froze, eyes wide, tears streaming down his face and body shaking, causing pieces of himself to fall. _

"_We could have escaped." A voice said, close to his ear, and a violent shiver went through Kuroko. "You could have been free of this, but instead you betrayed me. I won't forgive you."_

_Something hard hit Kuroko, and he shattered into little pieces._

* * *

><p>On the day of the meeting, the air was full of tension. Kuroko watched from the futon as Akashi put on his suit, the air around him serious and dangerous as if he was preparing for a fight. It put Kuroko on edge and restless.<p>

"I should have set the time earlier so we could get this over with." Akashi said grumpily, remnants of sleep still in his eyes. Kuroko looked at him worriedly which Akashi noticed. With a sigh, he cupped Kuroko's cheek and gave him a reassuring look. "It will be fine."

"I will protect you." Kuroko said determinedly, and a small faint smile appeared on Akashi's lips before he pressed them chastely onto Kuroko's.

"I know you will. Do you remember what to do when they arrive?"

"Of course." Kuroko said, almost with a bit of indignation, and Akashi ruffled his hair apologetically before buttoning his suit.

Still, the tension was there, and it only continued to escalate as they ate breakfast and left the house, spiking when they met up with an anxious Aomine and Kise. The ride to the building was full of anxiety, and Kuroko fidgeted at the atmosphere. It really did feel like the atmosphere before a fight, and it filled some part of him with anticipation.

The tense atmosphere slightly got better when they reached Akashi's office. The redhead got distracted by the pile of paperwork he had to go through. Aomine and Kise checked on their guns, each having two on them, and Kuroko checked that all his daggers were in place. They didn't want a fight, nor did they think that Seirin wanted to either, but they weren't going to let themselves be caught off guard in any situation.

Time inched by slowly until finally there was a knock on the door. Everyone stiffened in anticipation. Akashi swept the room with his eyes, making eye contact with Aomine and Kise who stood on either side of him, before calling for the person to come in.

Kiyoshi and Hyuuga were the first to enter the room, their eyes looking around to catch any threats before they stood in front of Akashi's desk. The redhead hadn't brought in any extra chairs for them, sending the message that he did not welcome their presence.

A pixie like girl with short brown hair, confident hazel eyes, and a determined look marched in wearing a feminine suit. Beside her was a rather small and weak looking black haired man who had sharp eyes, which, for some reason, had Kuroko on edge.

Then, behind them came a red-haired man who turned out to be Kagami, the man who had given him the vanilla milkshake. Kuroko nearly sighed. He had honestly been hoping that they would not cross paths, at least not like this, because he could sense that he had the potential to be quite troublesome.

The Seirin leaders stood in front of Akashi in a line, and Kuroko, having already activated his ability, walked around without them seeing him, looking for any weapons they had and gesturing to Akashi whenever he found one. Of course, there could be weapons well hidden, so he wasn't able to see them, but it gave them a grasp on what to expect.

So far all of them had guns, Hyuuga having two, which wasn't exactly unexpected considering that their meeting was on the enemy's turf. Kuroko returned to Akashi's side but did not stop using his ability.

Then, the discussion began. Both sides spoke civilly and respectfully, but there was wary looks in everyone's eyes. Seirin wanted control over part of the Chubu region, which was what Akashi was willing to give, but they wanted more prefectures which was too much for Akashi.

"I am willing to give you Gifu, but that's it." Akashi said seriously, and Riko obviously fought back a glare.

"That isn't going to be enough." She rebutted, placing her hands on Akashi's desk, and the redhead's eyes twitched.

"I refuse to give you Aichi, Gifu, and Fukui." Akashi said shortly, and Kuroko could feel the tension rising as the leaders had a stare down. "You have nothing to offer me that will make me willing to part with those prefectures."

"Are you sure? We'd be willing to pay you as much as you want." Riko said, and this time Kise and Aomine also twitched.

"I am not in need of any money. The only way you will get those three prefectures is if you join Teiko. Even then, I would need to make you a branch leader." Akashi said as he leaned back into his chair with crossed arms and watched as anger and offense went past Seirin's faces.

"Or we could just kill you and take everything." Kagami snarled taking a step closer and reaching for his gun. A blade pointed at his throat stopped him in his tracks, his hand frozen in place and red eyes wide as a small trail of blood trailed down his throat as the tip dug into his skin.

"I will not allow you to harm Akashi-kun." Kuroko said coldly, and Kagami's eyes widened even more when he saw Kuroko, who was on his tiptoes in order to angle the knife correctly.

"You…" Kagami growled, and Kuroko clenched his jaw. "You work for some like him?"

"Tetsuya, you know Taiga?" Akashi asked, and Kuroko nodded.

"He bought me the vanilla milkshake." Kuroko replied softly his eyes still cold as he looked into Kagami's eyes.

"Do you know what kind of man that guy is?" Kagami said fiercely, anger sparking in his eyes. "Do you have any idea how many people he's killed to secure his position? Is that really someone you want to work with?"

"Akashi-kun is Akashi-kun, and I will protect him." Kuroko said, and for him, it was that simple.

"You're a good kid, you wouldn't have saved that lady yesterday if you weren't, so why are you working with him?" Kagami growled.

_Because he saved me. Because he released me from my collar. Because he accepted me. Because…_

"Akashi-kun is Akashi-kun." Kuroko repeated. By now Aomine and Kise had their guns out and trained on Kagami who reluctantly dropped his hand and stepped back.

"Will this come to a fight? I can guarantee that, if it does, we will win." Akashi asked as Kuroko glided back to his side, his mix matched eyes narrowed dangerously.

"We outnumber you right now." Kagami stated, and Akashi grinned.

"Each of you has one gun, with the except for Junpei who has two. Nobody has their's drawn. Taiga will draw his first, in which case Daiki will shoot him dead before he has the chance to pull the trigger. Ryouta will be able to shoot at one of you at the very least, probably Junpei first, and Tetsuya will kill Shun, and I, meanwhile, will shoot your precious leader. By this time Teppei will be the last one standing with his gun drawn, but by then, it will be much too late. Want to see if my prediction is right?" Akashi asked smugly as he leaned back in chair and reveled at the gaping mouths of Seirin.

"You can't possibly know that." Izuki said as his eagle like eyes narrowing, and Akashi chuckled.

"Surely, you've heard of my emperor eye? It's not just a rumor, I assure you. I can predict the outcome of any fight." Akashi said as he pointed to his golden eye causing Riko to clench her jaw. "Now, I will give you Fukui and Gifu. That's my final offer, and if you refuse, then we will have a turf war in which I will win."

Riko silently considered the offer, her fists clenched, and the people around her restlessly shifted on their feet. A few hands twitched, but nobody went to grab their guns. Kagami continued to stare at Kuroko who readily stared back, a tension building between the two. Akashi's eye flickered between them suspiciously.

"We accept." Riko finally said, and Akashi nodded with a smug smirk.

"Wise decision." He said. "I will have the contracts drawn up and sent to you. Daiki, Ryouta, please escort them out."

Seirin blinked in surprise at the abrupt dismissal, but they left without an argument, Aomine and Kise following with their guns still drawn. Akashi waited for the door to close before he pulled Kuroko onto his lap by the wrist, the boy gasping in surprise.

"What was going on between you and Taiga?" Akashi asked, his eyes flashing as they stared into Kuroko's.

"Nothing, Akashi-kun." Kuroko said with a small frown, and Akashi hummed, not convinced.

"So, he was the one who bought you a milkshake. Did he do anything else?" Akashi probed, and Kuroko's frown deepened. "What was that about a lady?"

"A lady was being assaulted, and I saved her, and he jumped in." Kuroko replied, and Akashi cupped Kuroko's jaw with a hand.

"Why did you not inform me of this?" Akashi asked softly, but his tone still dangerous.

"I did not think it mattered." Kuroko replied hesitantly, wincing when Akashi's eyes flashed dangerously.

"So, he saw you fight and then treated you to a milkshake?" Akashi confirmed coldly.

"…Yes." Kuroko said, and suddenly, Akashi stood up so that Kuroko fell onto the desk behind him. Akashi, towering over him between his hanging legs, pressed his body into his, his small wrists trapped by a strong hand.

"You are to stay away from him, do you understand?" Akashi growled with his face inches away from Kuroko whose heart began beating quickly.

"Yes, Akashi-kun." Kuroko whispered, and suddenly, Akashi's lips crashed into his in an angry dominating kiss. Kuroko gasped, and his mouth was invaded by Akashi's tongue.

He felt his whole body completely heat up. He tried to kiss back, but Akashi overpowered his every attempt, so all he could do was lie on the desk and let Akashi take completely control over him, his body arching off the desk and pushing into Akashi even more. Akashi's eyes stayed open, drinking in his reaction, a smug look in them as Kuroko completely gave in to him.

Then, his ears perked as he heard faint footsteps coming toward his office, and he broke the kiss and moved away, sitting back into his chair calmly while Kuroko used his ability, so when Aomine and Kise entered the room, they couldn't see his state.

Akashi smirked as he watched as Kuroko weakly get off the desk and sat on the floor, panting, face flushed, and blue eyes slightly glazed, but what filled Akashi with smugness was the look of slight disappointment and longing in Kuroko's eyes as he looked up at him. He had not only not minded the kiss, but he wanted more.

It was Kuroko's fault in the first place for not realizing the effect that he had on people, especially when he danced with his punches and kicks. After all, Akashi had been attracted to him because of his fighting, so it wasn't farfetched that other people, like Kagami, had as well, and that wouldn't do because Kuroko was _his._

"Where's Tetsu?" Aomine asked as he scanned the room, his body still on guard.

"He's right beside me." Akashi replied with a bit of smugness. _Right where he belongs._

"Well, they left the building, and I ordered some Teiko members to tail them to make sure they left." Aomine informed him, Akashi nodding approvingly as he sat back.

"I'll have Shintaro write up a contract and send it to them later." Akashi said decisively, allowing himself to relax.

* * *

><p>Kuroko idly let Nigou drag him around the neighborhood as he attempted to sort out his feelings and thoughts. They used to be so foreign to him, but now, they were becoming something he needed to get used to.<p>

Ever since that night, when Akashi had accepted everything about him, he had been feeling…weird. Whenever he was around the redhead, a warm bubbly feeling would fill him and fill him with…was it contentment?

Then, there was that kiss earlier. Instead of a gentle warmth, it was a burning hot, and it made Kuroko want something, his whole body yearning for it, but he wasn't sure just what that was. But, Akashi knew how to give it to him. Nobody had ever made him feel like that. Only Akashi.

"Oi." Kuroko looked up, and his entire body stiffened, and his eyes turned icy cold.

"Kagami-kun." Kuroko said in almost a growl, remembering how he tried to kill Akashi. He turned around, intent to leave, but a strong big hand on his shoulder stopped him. Kuroko's hand snapped to Kagami's wrist, and he pressed down on the bone until it cracked, but Kagami bore the pain.

"I just want to talk." Kagami said calmly, although with a bit of a wince. "I don't mean any harm."

"Let. Me. Go." Kuroko said slowly, his free hand itching to grab his knives, but the only thing stopping him was him knowing that it would cause Akashi problems with Seirin if he hurt Kagami; however, only Akashi was allowed to touch him.

"Okay, just hear me out then I'll leave if you want me to." Kagami said as he let go of the boy's shoulder, and Kuroko let go of his wrist, stepping back.

"How did you find me?" Kuroko demanded, realizing that he wasn't far from Akashi's house, and that it would be bad for Seirin, or any enemy, to know where he lived.

"You said you lived around here, so I just searched the area in hopes of seeing you." Kagami replied.

"What do you want?" Kuroko brought Nigou in front of him. He noticed Kagami eyeing the dog warily, with traces of fear.

Kagami looked up at Kuroko with dead seriousness before he reached forward, toward Kuroko's neck. Kuroko immediately flinched and stepped back with wary eyes and twitching hands.

"That scar on your neck…If he's abusing you to stay with him, then I can help. You can come back with me, and Seirin will protect you." Kagami said determinedly, and Kuroko frowned in slightly confusion before lightly touching his neck realizing Kagami was referring to his collar scar, and he suppressed a small chuckle.

"Akashi-kun saved me. He's…teaching me how to live." Kuroko looked Kagami dead in the eyes. "I won't abandon Akashi-kun. I wish to always be by his side."

"There you have it." A voice cut through before Kagami could answer, and both he and Kuroko jumped in surprise as Akashi walked out of the shadows behind them.

"Akashi-kun." Kuroko said as he immediately walked to his side, the redhead giving him an almost tender look.

"You have long worn out your welcome in my territory, Taiga Kagami." Akashi said dangerously as he brought himself to his full height. And although he was considerably smaller than Kagami, there was something more intimidating about him. "You have tonight to leave before I force you."

Kagami looked at Kuroko one last time, as if to see if he would change his mind, before he left. Kuroko watched him leave, edging closer to Akashi so that their shoulders nearly touched.

"When did you get here?" Kuroko asked when Kagami disappeared into the distance, and Akashi turned to him.

"My men have been tailing Seirin, and they informed me that Kagami was nearby, so I decided to check it out." Akashi replied as he gently tilted Kuroko's head up with a hand. His lips briefly brushed against Kuroko's, his strong arms wrapping around him as he brought his smaller body towards him. "So you want to stay by my side?"

"Yes, Akashi-kun." Kuroko immediately replied, and Akashi hid his face into Kuroko's hair, his arms tightening around Kuroko. "I want to stay by your side for as long as you'll allow me to."

"You don't have a choice in that matter. I've already told you, you are mine." Akashi said simply, and Kuroko nearly smiled. Suddenly, Akashi broke the hug and began to pull him towards their home with an odd look that had Kuroko tilting his head in confusion.

As soon as they were home, Akashi dragged Kuroko into their bedroom, closing the door before Nigou could get in and turning to Kuroko who involuntarily took a step back as Akashi slinked towards him.

"You say you want to be my side." Akashi said, and Kuroko attentively nodded. The redhead gave him a calculative look before stepping so close to Kuroko that they could feel each other's body heat without actually touching. "Why?"

"Because…" Kuroko frowned unable to put it into words. A large part of it was because Akashi freed him from his collar, but… There was more to it. "I feel warm and…" Kuroko struggled, placing a hand on his chest with a frown, not sure how to explain the feeling he felt when he was with Akashi.

Akashi cupped Kuroko's face with his hands and gently tilted it upwards as he stared in Kuroko's eyes, as if searching for something before his eyes softened. He leaned down and kissed Kuroko who closed his eyes and kissed back immediately, his hands going up and clenching Akashi's shirt.

Carefully, Akashi lowered Kuroko onto the futon without breaking the kiss, settling between the boy's legs and pressing his entire body against Kuroko's as he deepened the kiss. Kuroko's hands let go of his shirt and instead, clutched at his back as his legs bent. Akashi broke the kiss and looked at Kuroko with a serious look.

"I want you to tell me if you get uncomfortable with anything." Akashi said in a commanding tone, and Kuroko nodded faintly. Akashi began to trail kisses along his jaw line, trailing downwards and began nibbling along Kuroko's neck.

Akashi's licked the scar around Kuroko's neck, kissing the dark skin gently before he began to nibble the sensitive skin as Kuroko let out a small whine beneath him. His hands trailed down and went under Kuroko's shirt, his hands exploring the expanse of skin.

Kuroko felt something stir inside him, and he squirmed as he tried to figure out what to do, his fingers digging into Akashi's back almost desperately. The redhead suddenly bit into his neck and sucked making Kuroko gasp and slightly arch into him.

Akashi kissed the freshly made bite mark tenderly, smirking as the forming bruise contrasted his pale skin, before he began tugging on Kuroko's shirt, pulling it off of Kuroko who looked at him with a bit of rare self-consciousness, his cheeks slightly flushed pink.

Akashi resumed kissing and nibbling Kuroko's soft skin, trailing down to his collarbone and occasionally, marking the skin with a hard bite. The body under him kept squirming and arching into him, wanting more.

Slowly, his hands that had been running up and down Kuroko's torso began to travel downwards, and Kuroko involuntarily let out a startled moan when an unbelievably warm hand suddenly cupped his member through his pants.

Akashi kept a careful eye on Kuroko who writhed and, unconsciously, bucked into the hand. His eye scanning for any signs that Kuroko didn't want this, or any detachment, but, all he could see was hazy eyes that watched him pleadingly.

Akashi's hand began to slowly rub Kuroko's crotch, creating delicious friction that had Kuroko moaning softly, throwing his head back slightly and bringing a hand to his mouth to stop the noises from coming out. Akashi grabbed Kuroko's hand and entwined their fingers, Kuroko squeezing his hand almost painfully as he tried to come to terms with the pleasure he was feeling.

Kuroko bit his lip nearly to the point of bleeding as Akashi slowly, torturously slow, brought his hand upwards to the hem of his pants and slowly slid it under them, moaning loudly when Akashi grasped him firmly, making his cheeks blush even redder than they already were.

Akashi began to stroke him, and Kuroko shook his head vigorously at the onslaught of pleasure it brought him in an attempt to clear his foggy mind, trying to ground himself by squeezing Akashi's hand and clenching the blankets under him. It felt like he was on fire, and it only got hotter and hotter as Akashi sped up the strokes.

Kuroko could feel Akashi's intense gaze on his face, drinking in his reactions, and for some reason, that just made him feel even more self-conscious. Something was stirring deep inside him, like something was building up, and the moans escaping his mouth were getting louder and louder against his will.

"Akashi-kun!" Kuroko called desperately, and Akashi was suddenly there, kissing him gently and tenderly, eyes looking right into his reassuringly, his hand stoking him even faster.

Then, something broke inside him, and Kuroko broke the kiss, his mouth opened wide in a soundless scream as white pleasure danced through him. Akashi kept stroking him but at a slower pace, prolonging the pleasure, making it even more intense as he thrashed around.

Finally, Kuroko collapsed on the bed, breathing heavily, his half lidded eyes glazed and unfocused as Akashi slid his hand out from his stained pants and watched him carefully as he wiped his hand on Kuroko's discarded shirt, making a note to clean it later.

"Are you okay?" He asked, and Kuroko looked at him, almost shyly, and nodded. Akashi smirked before placing a chaste kiss on Kuroko's lips and wrapping him up in his arms.

"What about you?" Kuroko asked, his hands moving to Akashi's obvious arousal, but Akashi stopped them.

"It's fine for tonight." Akashi said, and Kuroko was too tired from earlier to argue. He rested his head against Akashi's chest, hearing the redhead's heart beating quickly and took a deep breath of Akashi's scent before slowly drifting off.


	13. Chapter 13

_Wonderfully beta'd by AokazuSei_

* * *

><p><em>Kuroko fingered his collar with tiny little fingers, the rough fabric uncomfortably tight around his neck, and sighed drearily as the legs under his head shifted slightly. His blue eyes were dull, but there was still a tiny spark in them, a little bit of fight that kept him from completely giving in. <em>

_His back was caked with blood, a punishment for not listening to Haizaki which doubled as pain endurance training, and a cold gentle hand dabbed a wet sleeve against the dried blood in an attempt to clean it. Kuroko couldn't even feel the pain anymore._

"_It's not going to end." Kuroko whispered brokenly, and the hand paused. "It's getting harder and harder to disobey him. Someday, I might lose my own will." _

"_I'll think of something." A firm voice told him. _

"_I can't remember Mama anymore." Kuroko closed his eyes and curled up tighter, uncaring that he stretched his wounds and made them bleed even more. _

"_She was beautiful remember? You look just like her. She used to sing to us all the time, and remember that one song she sang? She never sang it to anyone but us."_

"_I don't remember what she looks like." Kuroko whispered. _

"_Long light blue hair, a shade darker than yours I think, and dark blue eyes. She had pale skin like ours, and when she smiled, you would always smile back even when you were crying like a baby." A pale hand brushed Kuroko's cheek. _

_Kuroko tried to picture his mother, using the details that the voice told him, but no matter what he did, he couldn't picture her. It should have made him sad, but…_

"_I can't feel anything anymore when this collar is on." Kuroko said as he tugged uselessly at the fabric but not daring to take the collar off. _

_Suddenly, footsteps marched toward the cage, and Kuroko found himself being yanked out of the cage by the collar. He stumbled slightly, nearly falling, and when he regained his balance he found himself in a fighting cage. _

_He attentively took a step, and a body fell from the ceiling, landing with a large wet splat right in front of him. Then another body fell. And another. Bodies rained down onto the floor around him, and Kuroko could recognize every face: all had been people he had killed. _

_Eventually, the bodies stopped falling, and Kuroko emotionlessly walked through them, taking great lengths in order to not walk on them, softly murmuring sorry even while knowing that it would never be enough. _

_There was a creak, and Kuroko slowly looked at the door of the cage and blinked when Akashi was standing there, hand reaching out and a soft look on his face not the least bit perturbed of the bodies lying on the ground. _

"_Is it really okay?" Kuroko asked bitterly as he looked at all the bodies, but Akashi didn't say a word, just continued to offer his hand. Kuroko slowly made his way to Akashi and hesitantly reached toward the hand, pausing for just a second before grabbing it._

* * *

><p>Kuroko sighed as the water from the shower poured over him, closing his eyes and washing the soap from his body. Unlike Akashi, who preferred his showers at night, Kuroko preferred to shower in the morning before anyone besides the maids were awake.<p>

Nigou could be heard whining outside of the bathroom, little paws clawing at the door, and Kuroko sighed as he turned off the water and dried himself. After wrapping the towel around his waist, he left the bathroom, Nigou following him as he went back to Akashi's room quietly.

Kuroko quickly changed into his Teiko uniform before walking over to the bed where Akashi slumbered peacefully. Kuroko bit his lips slightly as he remembered last night when Akashi had touched him. Nobody had ever pleasured him that way before and certainly not without expecting anything in return. It filled him with an odd feeling that he still couldn't understand, but it made his heart quicken.

"You're a weird person." Kuroko said softly as he gently moved a lock of hair away from Akashi's face and tucking it behind his ear.

Nigou let out a whine, and Kuroko shot him a warning look before sighing and leaving the room, grabbing the leash, and made to leave the house. Nigou barked happily as he ran around his feet, only stopping to let Kuroko clip the leash around his collar, before they both stepped out.

Kuroko almost missed it since it was set off to the side of the door and out of his immediate vision, but he caught it in the corner of his eye. His breath hitched, and he felt something in him jolt as he stumbled to the item lying innocently on the ground, landing on his knees and picking it up with shaking hands. A white collar.

No, it wasn't the collar he thought it was, just a replica. It was too clean and the fabric wasn't worn or frayed. Still, it was a sign, a deliberate sign that only he would understand.

"So, it was you." Kuroko whispered in a trembling voice, relief and devastation running through him as he pushed back memories as he clutched the collar close to him.

Kuroko looked around almost desperately and saw a couple of guards eyeing him curiously, but he didn't see anything unusual. The one who had left the collar was gone, but that made him question as to how he had passed the guards. Could it be…

"Kurokocchi?" Kuroko looked up to see Kise looking down at him with concern and he instantly wiped all emotions from his face as he stood up, gripping the collar tightly.

"Kise-kun." Kuroko greeted blandly.

"What's that?" Kise asked as he pointed to the collar, and Kuroko shifted the hand holding the item behind him slightly, as if protecting it.

"Nothing." Kuroko muttered as he picked up Nigou's leash that he had dropped. Kise wisely dropped the subject.

"Going to take Nigou for a walk? Can I join?" Kise asked excitedly, and Kuroko nodded. The two walked off, taking a stroll around the neighborhood as Nigou pulled on the leash to sniff at trees and bushes. "It's pretty early. Do you always wake up early?"

"Yes." Kuroko replied bluntly, glancing at the sky where the sun was still rising. He had about an hour before Akashi woke up.

"I wake up early too! I've tried to get Aominecchi to get up, but he's so lazy! If you let him, he'd never wake up; he'd just sleep the day away." Kise complained. "So, how have you liked living with us so far?"

"It's…good. Everyone's kind." Kuroko said, and Kise grinned happily.

"I'm glad Akashicchi is taking an interest in someone. I didn't think he would after what happened with his parents." Kise said thoughtfully, a bit of wistful sorrow in his voice.

"What…what happened?" Kuroko asked hesitantly, and Kise paused and gave him a sidelong gaze before nodding to himself.

"Well, his mother was the head of Teiko, and his father was the owner of several companies. I'm not sure how they met, but they fell in love and married and had Akashicchi who would inherit both Teiko and his father's businesses. But when Akashicchi was about perhaps your age, his father was killed by a rival gang.

After that, Akashicchi never took an interest in anybody. I think he's secretly scared of losing anyone because of his position of inheriting Teiko. But I can tell he's taken in interest in you, so I'm glad. Perhaps it's because he knows you can take care of yourself."

Kuroko blinked in surprise and felt sympathy for Akashi. He never knew his father, but he knew the feeling of losing a parent and how hard it was.

"What happened to his mother?" Kuroko asked softly, and Kise's eyes darkened slightly.

"She went into a depression. She never got over her husband's death and retired early, forcing Akashicchi to take over earlier than planned. She cut off contact and went somewhere isolated, so she could continue to mourn in solitude. I'm not even sure Akashicchi knows where she is."

Kuroko nodded, feeling a bit satisfied to know more about Akashi yet sad that he had faced a hard life. It couldn't have been easy to suddenly be abandoned by both parents and forced to take the responsibility of both Teiko and the businesses without any guidance.

"What about you? Do you remember your parents?" Kise asked cautiously, and Kuroko glanced at him.

"I remember my mother a little bit, but I've never met my father." Kuroko replied feeling that he owed Kise for the information he had given him.

"Ah. My parents, well Aominecchi's as well, served Akashicchi's mother, so we grew up together. There's also Midorimacchi and Murasakicchi, who I don't think you've met yet. Midorimacchi is basically Akashi's secretary, and he helps keep Akashicchi informed about what's going on with the branch leaders. He also has medical training. Murasakicchi is the cook, the best in the country in fact!"

"Ah." Kuroko replied, his thoughts going to the green haired man and the purple haired man he had seen the day he had explored the house, but that didn't exactly mean that they were who Kise was referring to since he had no proof.

"We all grew up together since we were little kids!" Kise said happily. "It's kind of like a makeshift family even though we don't interact as much anymore."

Kuroko nodded as he listened to Kise rattle on about stories of the past and the trouble they got into as children, most of it started by Kise, and he found himself fascinated. It didn't sound like Akashi had changed much from when he was a child. Kuroko found himself glad that he hadn't grown up alone and had some support.

The sun was fully in the sky when they got back to Akashi's house. Kise waved goodbye as he went inside to wake up Aomine. Kuroko looked at the collar in his hand, unsure what to do with it since he refused to throw it away. He walked through the hallway, intending to go to Akashi's study.

"Tetsuya." Kuroko blinked and looked up to see Akashi walking towards him. They both stared and assessed each other, trying to figure out if last night changed anything, before Akashi gave him a small smile and kissed his forehead.

"Akashi-kun." Kuroko greeted, his eyes softening.

"Did you go and walk Nigou?" Akashi asked as he spotted the dog panting on the ground, watching them both with his tail wagging.

"Yes. Kise-kun came with me." Kuroko replied, and Akashi nodded before his eyes fell on the white collar in Kuroko's hands and he reached over to look at it, but Kuroko suddenly stepped back defensively making the redhead pause with a frown.

"Tetsuya?" Akashi asked, and Kuroko bit his lip at his reflexive action, lowering his eyes apologetically. "Where did you get that collar?"

"…" Kuroko turned his head to look away, his grip on the collar tightening, knowing that if he answered it would lead to more questions, questions he wasn't ready to answer. "I'll tell you if you order me to." He said in a small voice, and Akashi looked at him seriously.

"I will wait until you are ready to tell me yourself." Akashi said after a long pause, and Kuroko gave him a relieved look.

Suddenly, there was shouting, and both Kuroko and Akashi ran toward the source of the sound which had come from their rooms. At first, there was nothing amiss, but when Akashi opened his door, they both stared. The redhead slowly breathed as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Kuroko blinked, looked at Akashi nervously, edging away slightly.

The wall separating Akashi's room from Aomine's now had a huge hole in it with Kise on the ground lying in the rubble of the destroyed wall, white dust floating in the air. Aomine's head was sticking through the gap, both of them with 'oh shit' looks as they stared at Akashi.

"What. Happened?" Akashi gritted out, not opening his eyes.

"I tried to wake him up-"

"He was annoying me, so I punched him-"

"So, I tackled him-"

"And, I threw him-"

"I landed against the wall-"

"Not my fault, I don't know my own strength-"

"He threw me too hard-"

"The walls are so thin-"

"Shut. Up." Akashi demanded, and the two immediately silenced. "What was the one rule I had about your rooms?"

"….Don't fight in them…" The two said quietly and guiltily, flinching when Akashi's eyes snapped open, eyeing his swords which didn't escape their notice.

"That is correct. Do not fight in them. I want you both to run around the house 20 times, do 50 push ups, 50 sit ups, and then go to Shuzo who will give you further punishment. I will **know** if you skip out on anything." Akashi growled dangerously, and the two gulped and nodded.

Akashi glared at them for a long moment before he turned on his heel and went to his study with Kuroko following quietly. Akashi went to his desk where a bunch of papers awaited him. Kuroko stood by the door, rocking foot to foot, unsure what to do with Akashi's current mood.

"Come here, I'm not mad at you." Akashi reassured even though there was still traces of annoyance in his eyes. Kuroko immediately sat down beside him, and Akashi turned his attention to the papers while Kuroko thought about what Kise had told him. He bit his lip, finding it unfair to know so much about Akashi when the redhead didn't know anything about him.

"Ah…" Kuroko started out. Akashi focused his attention on him, making him fidget uncomfortably. "My…my mother was a kind person. I don't remember her much, but I do remember her moving us a lot to keep us safe. She had a beautiful voice, and she would sing for money. I apparently look a lot like her."

"She sounds like a lovely lady." Akashi said softly, and Kuroko nodded, keeping his eyes on the white collar that he had wrapped around his upper arm. "What did you mean by 'us'?"

Kuroko clammed up, his eyes turning blank, and he looked away. Akashi sighed, lightly touching Kuroko's hand. "I won't force you to answer anything you don't want to. Just tell me when you're ready."

"Yes, Akashi-kun." Kuroko said.

"Do you know anything about your father?" Akashi asked, and Kuroko tilted his head in thought, racking his brain.

"I…I vaguely remember my mother mentioning that I got my ability from him. I never met him. He was someone she slept with when she worked for Haizaki-sama…san." Kuroko's brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what suffix to give Haizaki while Akashi looked at Kuroko sharply.

"Your mother worked for him?" He asked and Kuroko nodded.

"When she got pregnant, she stole some money from him and ran away. She managed to hide for years until he eventually found us." Kuroko said, and Akashi pulled the small boy to him, forcing Kuroko to lean against him.

"She was a strong woman. I'm sorry for what happened to her." Akashi said, and Kuroko nodded.

"I still don't remember a lot about her." Kuroko said wistfully, Akashi's hand tightening around his waist, silently giving support. They stayed like that for a long while both lost in their thoughts, Akashi gently rubbing circles against Kuroko's waist, the boy lost in trying to remember his mother, idly rubbing the white collar.

A knock on the door broke them both of the reverie. Kuroko tried to create some distance between them, but Akashi's arm kept him from moving even as he invited the person in. A tall green haired man, with matched emerald eyes behind black framed glasses walked in with confident large strides, a folder in his hands. Kuroko remembered him from the library.

"Ah, Shintaro." Akashi greeted and the man nodded sharply. "Shintaro this is Tetsuya Kuroko, Tetsuya, this is Shintaro Midorima."

"Pleasure to meet you." The man said, and Kuroko bowed his head in greeting. "I have the contract you wanted drawn up, and I wanted you to look it over before I sent it to Seirin."

Akashi accepted the folder and began to read through the contents while Midorima seemed to study Kuroko, taking note of his close proximity with Akashi, although there was no judgement in his eyes, just curiosity.

"I approve." Akashi said as he handed Midorima the folder. "Ah, would you mind calling someone to fix my wall tomorrow? Daiki threw Ryouta through it."

"…Yes Akashi." Midorima said blandly, his eyes saying that he was used to their antics. He bowed shortly before leaving the room swiftly. Nigou quickly scampered into the room when he opened and closed the door behind him.

The little dog ran to Kuroko and barked happily, neither noticing Akashi's small grimace as he went back to focusing on his paperwork. He still hated dogs, even Nigou, but he put up with it because of the happy little spark in Kuroko's eyes whenever he played with the dog. Nigou seemed to be smart though, smart enough to sense Akashi's dislike, so he mostly stayed away from him which satisfied Akashi.

A few hours later, Akashi stretched and yawned before leaning back with a satisfied smirk. Seirin's contract was dealt with, his paperwork was done, and the company merge contract was basically settled. He had sent out Teiko members to deal with the trouble in his territory. So for now, that was resolved; most of his work was done, so he could relax. Well, at least Akashi thought so until his cellphone rang.

"Hello?" Akashi answered in a clipped voice.

"Hi!" Akashi frowned at the chipper voice on the other end. "It's me, Ogiwara!"

Akashi blinked in mild surprise. Shigehiro Ogiwara was a distant relative of his from his mother's side and was the next in line to inherit Meiko, a gang who owned a large part of Hokkaido. Although they were distantly related, Akashi had vague memories of him visiting when he was a child.

"What do I owe the pleasure to, Shigehiro?" Akashi asked and the voice on the other end laughed.

"Formal as always! Well, I was hoping to spend a few weeks around the area you live in, and I was wondering if you would allow me to stay where you live! We can get to know each other just like way back when!" Akashi tapped his fingers against his desk in thought, idly watching Kuroko.

Meiko and Teiko were in a sort of alliance, where both sides agreed not to touch each other or fight for territories, but over the years, the gang leaders up to his generation became tense with each other and talks of war were not uncommon. It would be good to strengthen his relations with Ogiwara.

"When would you come?" Akashi finally asked.

"As soon as possible! You have absolutely no idea how boring it gets here!" Ogiwara said with heavy exaggeration. "I can be there by tomorrow if you let me!"

"That's awfully sudden." Akashi said with traces of irritation, and Kuroko looked at him with a tilted head, but Akashi waved his concern off, giving the boy a small smile to tell him it was ok. "I'll have a room prepared."

"Thanks! I'll catch a flight and should be there by tomorrow!" Ogiwara said before hanging up and Akashi sighed warily. He could tell Ogiwara was someone who had a lot of energy, and it was bad enough dealing with Kise on a daily basis, never mind those two balls of energy.

"Akashi-kun?" Kuroko asked hesitantly as he walked over and kneeled by his side, lightly touching the redhead's hand in concern.

"I'm okay Tetsuya." Akashi said as he flipping his hand over and held Kuroko's hand in his, entwining their fingers together. "A distant relative of mine will be staying over for a couple of weeks."

"A relative?" Kuroko asked with a small head tilt, and Akashi nodded.

"He's the next in line to the inheritance of Meiko. We have a shaky peace with them, but I still want you to be on your guard." Akashi warned, and Kuroko nodded although, inwardly, he thought it was quite risky letting a potential enemy stay where he lived.

"Do you know him well?" Kuroko asked, and Akashi shook his head.

"I met him a few times when I was a kid, but I don't remember him very well." Akashi replied, and Kuroko nodded in understanding although he still looked concerned. Akashi sighed as he let go of Kuroko's hand and began to leave the room, intent on finding a maid to get them to prepare a room for Ogiwara. He hoped this wasn't a bad idea.

* * *

><p>"It's done." Ogiwara said, placing the phone down with a trouble expression.<p>

"Good. Everything is in motion, and you know what to do."

"Why did you convince my father to go through with this plan?" Ogiwara asked with a conflicted look and clenched hands. "Why are you helping Meiko?"

"I want Akashi Seijuro dead for reasons of my own. I want to teach a certain someone a lesson, and I believe Akashi's death will do."


	14. Chapter 14

_Wonderfully beta'd by AokazuSei_

* * *

><p><em>Kuroko wistfully looked up at his brother's face, framed by his silver hair, as he laid his head on his lap, a gentle hand going through his hair in an imitation of what his mother used to do. <em>

"_Do you remember what the sunset looks like?"_

"_No." Kuroko whispered. _

"_The sun is high in the sky, and as it begins to descend, the sky changes into different colors depending on where you look. Colors like violet, red, and orange. We used to watch them together."_

"_I don't remember." Kuroko said blandly, turning his head to look vacantly at the opposite wall. A part of him didn't want to anymore. A part of him wanted to stop fighting and to give in to Haizaki, but he just couldn't do it. Not when he had someone to continue fighting for. _

"_It's okay. One day, we'll watch it together again. I promise." A hand caressed Kuroko's face tenderly, but Kuroko's expression didn't change. "Don't let him break you. Promise me not to let him break you."_

"…" _Kuroko opened his mouth, wanting to give the answer he wanted to hear, but he softly closed it._

"_You can escape you know." _

"_No." Kuroko said, the words eliciting a rare tendril of determination. "I will not abandon you." _

"_And yet, you would betray me?" Kuroko blinked and sat up, turning around and seeing an ugly sneer as his brother looked at him with betrayal filled grey eyes. "I won't forgive you. I will do to you what you did to me."_

"_I won't stop you." Kuroko whispered. The was a loud bang, and a bloody hole appeared in the middle of his chest, but despite the pain, Kuroko continued to stare at the male in front of him with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry."_

* * *

><p>A hand was running through his hair when Kuroko blinked his eyes open. He could hear a heartbeat underneath his head, thudding slowly against his ear, as he lay curled up against Akashi who had an arm lazily wrapped around him and an idle hand running up and down Kuroko's back occasionally. Kuroko shifted, and the hand in his hair paused before a gentle kiss was placed on his head.<p>

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Akashi murmured, and Kuroko shook his head before frowning.

"You're awake a lot earlier than usual." Kuroko said, and Akashi sighed as he rubbed his eyes with a hand.

"Just had trouble sleeping, I suppose. I'm just tense with my relative coming over." Akashi answered, and Kuroko looked at him worriedly. Akashi leaned down and languidly kissed him, erasing the worry from Kuroko's face.

"I'll be fine." Akashi reassured him. "I remember him as a kind person, so you two should get along just fine."

"Yes, Akashi-kun." Kuroko said, and Akashi began running his hands through his hair again, although this time, to get rid of his errant bed head that neither of them could figure out how he got. Kuroko leaned into the touch and closed his eyes, the touch soothing enough to almost make him fall back asleep.

Then, he perked up as he heard an odd unfamiliar noise, and he looked across the room at the tarp covered hole, taking a moment to recognize the sound as loud snores that belonged to Aomine. The two exchanged an amused look.

"He used to be louder." Akashi murmured, and Kuroko looked at him curiously. "When he was a kid, he snored so loud, you could hear him even without a hole in the wall. Nobody could sleep in the same room as him."

"Really?"

"Yes. Ryouta is quieter, but he rolls around a lot in his sleep, and he tends to kick a lot." Akashi said with a small chuckle. Kuroko couldn't help but think it matched their personalities. He looked away to hide his small smile. "And, you sleep like you're dead."

"Ah?" Kuroko said in surprise as he looked at Akashi who was looking at him with an amused look.

"You sleep still the entire night. If you weren't breathing, I would have thought that you were dead." Akashi said as he poked Kuroko's cheek, and the boy pouted ever so slightly.

"Akashi-kun hugs a lot in his sleep." Kuroko said dryly, and Akashi quirked an eyebrow.

"Are you calling me a clingy sleeper?" Akashi said in mock indignation.

"….Yes." Kuroko said, although there was a bit of apprehension in his voice. Akashi suddenly flipped them over so Kuroko was lying under him, and he leered down at him playfully.

"You don't really mind do you?" Akashi asked teasingly, and Kuroko shook his head, fighting back a smile. The redhead playfully nipped Kuroko's nose before getting off of him and getting out of the futon to put on some clothes. "Why don't you go wake up Daiki and Ryouta? I have some tasks I want them to accomplish."

"Yes, Akashi-kun." Kuroko said as he got out of the futon and made his way out of the room. He heard noises coming from Kise's room, meaning that the blonde was already up, so Kuroko knocked on Aomine's door. The only response he got was a loud gruff snore that would make a bear huff in pride. Kuroko tried to knock louder, but Aomine still wouldn't wake up, probably not able to even hear the knocks through the noise he was making.

After rocking on his feet for a few moments, Kuroko entered the room with some trepidation, hoping the man wouldn't get mad at him for entering without permission. The layout to Aomine's room was the same as Akashi's except he had posters of big breasted ladies hung on his wall and piles of magazines that had women in bikinis on the cover.

On a wall, there was a large display of different guns and bullets, all looking like they had been used at one point or another. In the corner of the room was an orange basketball, the fuzz completely worn out, indicating how well used it was.

And, of course, Aomine was in his bed, not in a futon like Akashi's but lying on his stomach, an arm dangling off the side, and a small line of drool escaping his snoring mouth.

"Ah…Aomine-kun?" Kuroko said as he touched Aomine's back, but there was no response. "Aomine-kun?" Kuroko said louder, but all that got was a small snort from the sleeping man.

"Just shove him off the bed." Kuroko heard Akashi say from the other side of the tarp which was beside Aomine's bed.

"Ah…" Kuroko tilted his head and worried his lip as he stared at the sleeping man. He picked up the arm that was hanging off the bed and yanked on it, but Aomine was too heavy to drag off the bed no matter how hard Kuroko pulled.

"Aomine-kun." Kuroko said loudly, which for the soft spoken boy, was akin to shouting. Aomine snorted again in his sleep and rolled over into his back, lying even further into the bed, closer to the wall.

"That's not going to work!" Kise said as he walked in with a bounce in his step. Kuroko wondered how he could be so full of energy first thing in the morning. "Here. TIME TO GET UP!"

Kise shouted, making Kuroko flinch in surprise, and the blonde unceremoniously jumped onto the sleeping Aomine, tackling him. Aomine swore loudly, and he reflexively kneed Kise in the stomach and threw him on the ground, a sleepy snarl on his face. If Kuroko listened carefully, he could hear Akashi muttering under his breath crankily.

"What the hell are you two doing in my room?" Aomine growled, wiping the drool off his mouth with a fist as he glared at Kuroko and Kise.

"Akashi-kun's orders. He wants to see you two." Kuroko said shortly before he left the room and went to Akashi who was standing in the hallway waiting for his bodyguards to come out.

"I want the entire house clean for Shigehiro's visit, so I want you two to aid the maids in cleaning the floors." Akashi ordered when Kise and Aomine stumbled out of the room.

"Wh…but-"

"Would you like to clean dishes as well?" Akashi asked innocently, and the two both shook their heads in complete resignation. "Good. Get to it."

"I don't think he's forgiven us yet." Kise could be heard saying to Aomine as the two forlornly walked upstairs. Akashi gave them amused looks before turning to Kuroko.

"Shall we eat breakfast?" Akashi asked, and Kuroko nodded as he followed the redhead to the dining room where a breakfast consisting of various foods sat. All the meals Kuroko had thus far had consisted of tiny portions of numerous different foods to make up for Kuroko's lack of knowledge on cuisine.

Akashi could still remember Murasakibara's face of utter indignation, as if he had been personally offended, when he found out that Kuroko had never eaten real food before coming to live with them; he even made it his mission to make as many dishes as possible for Kuroko even without personally meeting him.

"I like this." Kuroko said as he pointed his chopsticks at the dried horse mackerel without having to have Akashi prompt him, which was a first. Akashi's eyes softened, and he smiled at Kuroko with a bit of pride before offering Kuroko more mackerel, which the boy readily accepted.

"So, Shigehiro's room will be in the same hallway as ours, in fact, it will be right beside yours." Akashi said, and Kuroko nodded, expression serious. "Will you escort me when I go pick him up?"

"Of course, Akashi-kun." Kuroko said eagerly.

* * *

><p>Of course, if Kuroko had known just how busy the airport was, he wouldn't have been so eager. He had never been good with crowds, being surrounded by people made him feel unsafe, unprotected, as if someone were to try to attack him.<p>

It slightly helped that the crowd parted ways for Akashi, as if sensing his superiority, but Kuroko couldn't stop using his ability as he held onto the very edge of Akashi's sleeve like an insecure child. The redhead had opted to wear semi-formal clothing, consisting of a deep red buttoned dress shirt with a pair of black slacks, while Kuroko, Kise, and Aomine wore Teiko's uniform.

Perhaps sensing Kuroko's uneasiness, Kise moved beside Kuroko, caging him between him and Akashi, while Aomine trailed in front. The redhead turned to him curiously.

"Have you ever been to an airport before?" Kuroko shook his head as he looked around him warily, his guard completely up.

"How about, when this is over, I take you on a plane somewhere?" Akashi asked, and Kuroko looked at him before shyly nodding.

"Yes, Akashi-kun." Kuroko said softly.

"Keep a lookout for someone with orange hair." Akashi said, and the bodyguards nodded as they scanned the crowd of people. Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, Kuroko saw someone lunge toward Akashi from behind, and he swiftly turned on the balls of his feet, grabbed the person's neck and slammed him into the ground, pressing painfully to keep the person pinned.

"Ah, Kurokocchi found him." Kise said with wry bemusement while Akashi sighed.

Kuroko immediately let the man go when he realized he had orange hair, lighter on the top and darker at the ends, as Akashi had described him to have. Ogiwara coughed, rubbing his throat gingerly as he stood up, peering around with bright orange eyes.

"My sincerest apologies." Kuroko said contritely, bowing slightly, and Ogiwara's eye widened when he saw Kuroko, his eyes drinking in every detail of the boy, taking longer than was strictly necessary.

"Were you there the whole time?" Ogiwara asked with amazement, and Kuroko nodded, looking at Akashi to see if he was mad at him for treating Ogiwara in such a manner, but Akashi just looked exasperated with the orange haired male.

"You should know better than to try to sneak up on me." Akashi said, and Ogiwara grinned, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah, I didn't know you acquired a new bodyguard though!" He said, not the least bit apologetic.

"He's not my bodyguard." Akashi said shortly, not offering any more information, and Ogiwara looked at Kuroko again.

"Well, it's nice to meet you! My name is Shigehiro Ogiwara! Nice move back there, by the way, you completely got me!" Ogiwara said good-naturedly as he offered Kuroko a hand.

"Kuroko Tetsuya." The boy replied as he delicately shook the hand which grasped his own firmly. Ogiwara grinned as he let go of his hand and turned to Kise and Aomine who were a bit put off that Ogiwara had almost managed to sneak up on them.

"Long time no see! Man, you've guys have gotten taller." He said as he sized the bodyguards up. Although taller than Akashi, Ogiwara was still shorter than both Kise and Aomine, though not by much.

"We've also gotten stronger." Aomine replied with an almost challenging tone, but Ogiwara just grinned as he went to his bags that he had dropped.

"I have asked Atsushi to make us lunch if you're hungry." Akashi said as the group began making their way back to where the limo awaited them. At the mention of food, Ogiwara's stomach growled, causing the man to hold his stomach and laugh abashedly.

"Food sounds good, especially if Murasakibara's as good as his Dad was." Ogiwara said.

"Ah, he is. Actually, he's better now!" Kise chirped, and Ogiwara's face lit up in anticipation as they entered the limo which drove off. Kuroko finally allowed himself to relax since they were away from the crowd.

"So, Kuroko, how long have you been staying with Akashi?" Ogiwara asked, and Kuroko paused as he tried to do the calculations in his head. He was still bad at paying attention to how much time passed.

"He's been staying with me for almost two weeks." Akashi answered for Kuroko who gave him a grateful look, and Ogiwara looked faintly surprised.

"So, what are you two? Since you've said he isn't a bodyguard." Ogiwara asked, and Kuroko looked at Akashi for an answer.

"He's my companion." Akashi said shortly with a tone that said that he wasn't going to offer any further explanations and didn't want to be pressed further. Ogiwara frowned as he scrutinized Kuroko who shifted uncomfortably and had to force himself to not use his ability.

"Ah, so why the sudden visit?" Kise asked, trying to shift Ogiwara's attention, although it only half worked since Ogiwara kept an eye on Kuroko, which was starting to put Akashi on edge.

"Ah, well, it was getting real stressful back at home. All that training to be the new head of Meiko and all that." Ogiwara said with a small chuckle before turning to Akashi. "You know the feeling right?"

"Yes." Akashi said with a small nod, and Ogiwara grinned, except there was something darker tinged in the action.

It wasn't much longer until they arrived at Akashi's house. Ogiwara looked around with a faintly nostalgic look as they entered.

"Ah, why weren't you wearing shoes?" Ogiwara said with a touch of suspicion as everyone took off their shoes while Kuroko wiped his feet with a towel that had been placed specifically for his use.

"Constricting." Kuroko said bluntly, and Akashi affectionately ruffled his hair before they began making their way to the hall where Nigou ran to greet them. Kuroko immediately picked up the energetic dog before he managed to trip someone as he was apt to do, especially, for no discernable reason, with Aomine.

"You have a dog? I thought you hated dogs!" Ogiwara said as he peered at Nigou who barked and wiggled in Kuroko's arms in an attempt to smell the newcomer.

"He's not mine, he's Tetsuya's." Akashi said as Ogiwara petted Nigou's head, the dog panting excitedly.

"Still…to allow a dog in your household is a feat. You must be pretty special for him to allow you to have a dog!" Ogiwara said to Kuroko who blinked and frowned, his arms tightening around Nigou.

"The dining room is this way. Daiki, Ryouta, won't you join us?" Akashi said and the two blinked in surprise since they usually ate in a separate room. "I have already asked for your meals to be brought to the room.

"Sure! It will give us time to catch up with Ogiwaracchi!" Kise said happily, and the group entered the dining room. Kuroko placed Nigou outside since Akashi was against letting the dog in the dining room, where all the food was already laid out. When he reentered the dining room, Kuroko tilted his head as he saw that the dishes were fancier and seemed to have custom hand painted designs on them. The food also seemed to look fancier.

"Wow! Everything looks good!" Ogiwara said as they all sat down and began to eat. "Wow! This tastes great! You weren't kidding about him being the best in the country."

"Right?" Kise chirped happily.

Akashi rolled his eyes as he dumped some dried horse mackerel on Kuroko's plate making the boy's eyes brighten a little. Honestly, he didn't know how to deal with two balls of energy at once, even Aomine looked weary.

"Ah, pardon me." Akashi said when his phone rang. He politely left the room to answer, something he wouldn't have bothered doing if it had been just him and Kuroko. Ogiwara watched Akashi leave and waited for the door to slide close before he turned to Kuroko.

"So, how did you and Akashi meet?" He asked and Kise, Aomine, and Kuroko both froze. How do you explain that they met when Kuroko was in the process of killing Akashi's own men?

"Ah…I was…" Kuroko trailed off with a frown.

"Tetsu was doing some business for another person when he met Akashi." Aomine surprisingly said, and Kise nodded vigorously while Kuroko went back to eating his fish, thankful for their help.

"Ah, I would have thought the meeting would be more interesting." Ogiwara commented, and both Aomine and Kise looked down to hide their looks of amusement because they couldn't imagine a more interesting way of meeting. The door slid open and a visibly irritated, visible to Kuroko at least, Akashi walked in.

"Apparently, there has been some mishap at the office, and I will need to go in later." Akashi said as he sat down. Kuroko subtly touched the back of his hand in concern.

"Ah, well don't worry about me! How about Kuroko keeps me company since you'll probably be bringing your bodyguards." Ogiwara said, and Akashi's eyes narrowed inconspicuously while Kuroko blinked in surprise.

"If that will please you in my absence." Akashi acquiesced, and Kuroko imperceptibly slumped a bit in disappointment, although his curiosity was peaked. There was something about Ogiwara that peaked his interest. Just some kind of kind happy energy the male exhumed that drew people in.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, an odd sort of tension permeating the air, as Akashi kept an eye on Ogiwara who kept trying to start a conversation with Kuroko who didn't quite know how to treat the newcomer.

"Why don't we have a match like we used to when we were kids?" Akashi asked suddenly when everyone was done eating. Ogiwara looked surprised at the sudden challenge but readily agreed, and Kuroko perked up at the chance to see Akashi fight.

Everyone made their way to the dojo which was empty, save for a couple of maids who were cleaning. The maids were dismissed, and both Ogiwara and Akashi took off their shirts. Kuroko gazed at Akashi's tattoo that rippled as the redhead stretched his muscles. Kuroko looked over at Ogiwara and was surprised to see a large tattoo on his back as well.

There was a large phoenix on his back, the wings outstretched with the tips covering his shoulders, its beak open, threatening to snap dangerously, and in its claws it held the Japanese characters for Meiko. It was impeccably detailed, just like Akashi's, and Kuroko had to wonder if their tattoos were done by the same person.

Kuroko also noticed that Ogiwara was slightly more built than Akashi was, although that didn't worry him all that much because fighting didn't necessarily depend on how much muscles someone has, Kuroko was a testament to that.

When both of them had stretched their muscles, although Kuroko noticed Akashi hadn't taken his stretching seriously, they both faced off, analyzing each other. A second passed, tension and anticipation mounting, before Ogiwara dashed toward Akashi, aiming a kick at his head.

Akashi, almost boredly, blocked the kick with his arm and didn't even bother to counterattack even though Ogiwara was wide open. The orange haired boy gritted his teeth and hopped back a bit before he kicked again, feinting to the right and aiming for the left which didn't faze Akashi who merely blocked him, grabbing his leg and making Ogiwara fall on the ground.

"He's playing with him." Kuroko muttered as he watched with expert eyes. He had seen and participated in many fights. He could recognize the different looks in fighters, and so, he could tell that Akashi wasn't even trying. But more than that, something was weird about the fight.

Ogiwara immediately jumped onto his feet and aimed a punch at Akashi's face, the redhead grabbing his wrist before it connected, and the orange haired man dropped down slightly and kicked at Akashi's side. Akashi dropped the wrist and grabbed the leg and using the momentum of the kick he swung Ogiwara's entire body and let go, the taller male sailing through the air and landing across the room in a heap. Something was niggling at Kuroko, telling him to look closer at the redhead's movements.

Ogiwara shook himself off and jumped in the air. Akashi moved his arm, just a second before Ogiwara kicked toward his head, forcing Ogiwara back onto the ground. The orange haired man swooped down, and Akashi jumped just before Ogiwara used a leg to sweep under where Akashi had been standing. The redhead blocked a roundhouse kick that had been aimed at his stomach, and he shoved the leg away with enough force to make Ogiwara fall.

"He's moving before Ogiwara makes a move." Kuroko muttered, still to himself, but Kise answered him nonetheless.

"It's his emperor eye." Kuroko looked at Kise who was watching the two with a serious look. "That eye sees the muscles of the fighters, sees how it bunches up seconds before the actual attack, which allows him to predict the next move. It's one of the reasons why Akashicchi is unbeatable."

Kuroko blinked and watched as Ogiwara righted himself up, anger apparent in his eyes, as he charged at Akashi, although this time a bit recklessly. He released a barrage of punches and kicks with rapid speed, but Akashi easily blocked and dodged them all, a bored expression on his face the entire time, sweat not even appearing on his skin like Ogiwara. He didn't even bother with counterattacks even when Ogiwara left himself open a lot of times, opting to use power over defense.

It was a pathetically one sided fight, only made more so by the fact that Akashi wasn't even trying and not hiding the fact. Ogiwara was getting more and more frustrated, and it was evident that he was beginning to give up by the lack of power in his attacks.

Kuroko flashed back to the way that Akashi hadn't even bothered to really stretch and realized that the redhead had known the entire time that the fight would end up this way. So, what was the point of challenging Ogiwara?

Akashi looked at him with a pointed look, as if everything was to prove something, but Kuroko couldn't figure out what. Although, it was interesting to see Akashi fight, if it could even be called that. Ogiwara, even though he seemed weak in comparison, was strong in his own right, and if Akashi didn't have his emperor eye, he would be a worthy opponent.

"Ah, I give up! You win, just like old times." Ogiwara finally said, and although his tone was light, there was something dark in his eyes.

Akashi nodded sharply as he walked over to his shirt and pulled it back on as Ogiwara did the same.

"What was the point of this?" Aomine asked gruffly, voicing the question on Kuroko mind. "Wasn't the whole point of allowing Ogiwara to stay here to make nice with Meiko?"

"Who knows? Maybe he just got upset that Ogiwaracchi was paying too much attention to…" Kise trailed off, but he looked over to Kuroko.

"I must go to the office now. Tetsuya, you don't mind keeping Shigehiro company do you?" Akashi asked, and Kuroko shook his head. The redhead's eyes softened as his hand brushed the smaller males before marching off with Kise and Aomine trailing after him.

* * *

><p>"Is it really okay leaving Ogiwaracchi with Kurokocchi?" Kise asked when they were in the limo, and Akashi smirked.<p>

"There's nothing to be worried about." Akashi said confidently. He had noticed Ogiwara's unusual attention to Kuroko which was why he had chosen to fight Ogiwara even when he knew he would win without even trying.

Someone like Kuroko would only follow someone powerful, just like he had chosen him over Haizaki, so Akashi had made sure Kuroko saw who was the stronger. Not that he thought Kuroko would ever betray him, but it was always good to make sure that Kuroko knew who was better.

Akashi smirked as he looked out the window and watched the passing scenery. Ogiwara's attention may have been just idle curiosity, but just in case it wasn't, Akashi had made sure that Kuroko would never go to him.


	15. Chapter 15

Wonderfully beta'd by AokazuSei

* * *

><p>"I hope you enjoyed the show." Ogiwara said broodingly, his orange eyes dark, belying the lightness in his voice, as he buttoned his shirt and straightened himself out. Kuroko couldn't help but feel some pity for him. It wasn't an easy fight to watch, nevermind to be the opponent in.<p>

Kuroko chose to say nothing, for he could add nothing that would assuage the situation. Ogiwara turned to him and grinned. "Well, I expected nothing less of Akashi of course!"

Kuroko looked mildly uncomfortable. Ogiwara patted him on the back, hard enough to nearly send the smaller boy stumbling, before he gave him a reassuring smile. He finally got Kuroko alone, and he wasn't about to waste it by sulking, even if Akashi had been a dick to him.

Ogiwara had to admit to himself that he had been entranced by Kuroko the moment he had appeared out of thin air at the airport. He almost looked inhuman, an ethereal being, with his baby blue hair that framed his oval shaped face, captivating azure eyes, and almost translucent pale skin that looked soft to the touch. Of course, he was instantly captivated, any human being would. Akashi didn't deserve such a person.

"What do you do in your free time?" Ogiwara asked as they walked out of the dojo. Kuroko looked thoughtful as he tilted his head in an adorable manner.

"I spend most of my time with Akashi-kun." Kuroko answered softly, and Ogiwara hid a rueful smirk which turned into a frown as he noticed a wide dark scar on Kuroko's neck. Without even thinking, he touched it, making the boy flinch and step back.

"Ah, my apologies!" Ogiwara immediately said as he withdrew his hand. "Where did you get that scar though?"

Something dark flitted through blue eyes as Kuroko looked away and fingered a white collar he had wrapped around his arm. "My past boss liked it when I wore a collar, and it eventually made a scar."

Ogiwara studied Kuroko thoughtfully, taking in the scar, the lack of shoes, skin so pale as if unused to the sun, and the subservient mannerism he had when it came to Akashi...It was remarkably similar to a slave's. Perhaps, he had been one, and Akashi had bought him? Was he Akashi's slave? It would explain the collar he still wore even if it wasn't around his neck. Still, it would be to forward, even for him, to ask Kuroko outright.

"Come on! There must be something else you like to do." Ogiwara needled, and Kuroko frowned as they entered the house. Nigou came scampering toward them, his little paws slightly sliding on the clean wooden floors, and Kuroko quickly picked him up into his arms.

"I like being by Akashi-kun's side." Kuroko said firmly, and Ogiwara hummed. The dog in his arms barked as he wiggled about excitedly, whining as if pleading for something. "Ah, I need to walk him."

"I'll go with you!" Ogiwara quickly offered, and Kuroko nodded as he grabbed a leash and hooked it to Nigou's collar. They left the house together and walked down the street in companionable silence. As they walked, Ogiwara suddenly remembered a place Akashi's mother had shown him during one of his last visits he had; he knew Kuroko would love it.

"Hey, follow me!" Ogiwara said as he gently took Kuroko wrist and pulled him away, the boy stumbling a little before catching his balance, and a small gasp of surprise escaped his lips.

"Where?" Kuroko asked, staring at the hand around his wrist with a frown, but Ogiwara didn't let it go.

"Ah, just some place that Akashi's mom showed me before. It's really cool. I think you'll like it!" Ogiwara said as they turned the corner. He watched Kuroko's expression change from his usual blank expression to one of pleasant surprise as he saw the large flower garden.

There were thousands of different types of flowers that framed a trail, leading to a small picnic area. Apparently, the entire neighborhood had chipped in, adding bushes and pots of flowers every year, making the garden bigger and prettier with new colors.

Ogiwara grinned smugly as he saw Kuroko's face lighten, and his lips quirk up ever so slightly in an almost smile. He bet Akashi had never made him have that expression.

"It's beautiful." Kuroko said as he looked at a bush of blue flowers, gently stroking the soft petals with his small fingers, looking wistful. Ogiwara plucked one of the flowers and placed it behind Kuroko's ear, the dark petals contrasting with Kuroko's light hair.

"It suits you." Ogiwara commented with a pleased grin as Kuroko blinked in surprise as he lightly brushed the flower with his hand but didn't take it out. "So, what's it like in Teiko?"

"Ah...It's nice. I like it." Kuroko said shortly but not in a rude manner, more like he was struggling to find words. Kuroko did seem like a quiet person who didn't seem to know _how_ to talk a lot. Perhaps Akashi restricted his speaking?

"I wonder if it's like Meiko." Ogiwara said thoughtfully, his tone wistful and fond as he thought of the gang he would inherit. "I love Meiko a lot. There are a lot of great people in it, and it's like one big family. Although people have been leaving lately, so it has been getting smaller and smaller. Still, I love each and every member, and I would do anything for them.

I've been trained my entire life to be a fit leader for them. It's kinda hard 'cuz my parents wanted me to be exactly like Akashi, who's perfect at everything. I guess I don't seem like a good leader to them like he is." Ogiwara said with a bit of bitterness before he perked up. "Ah! Sorry for the depressing topic!"

Kuroko looked at him carefully before turning his gaze back to the flowers. "I think Ogiwara-kun is alright being himself."

Ogiwara's eyes widened, and his mouth hung open as he stared at Kuroko flabbergasted. It was the first time anyone had ever told him that, including his parents. All anyone had ever told him was to be like Akashi, to strive for perfect grades, to give up frivolous likes, to be the top fighter, to be a mature adult, _just like Akashi. _

"Ah...My apologies if I said something wrong." Kuroko said with a small bow when he saw Ogiwara's expression.

"Oh, no it's not that! It's just the first time anyone's said that to me." Ogiwara said as he snapped out of it and smiled. He held out his hand to Kuroko who looked at it in surprise. "Hey, let's be friends!"

Kuroko tilted his head with a small furrow of his eyebrows before he timidly shook Ogiwara's hand in acceptance. Friends...It was a good start. Still...friends or not...he had a mission.

"So, tell me about Akashi. Is he still ever the busy body?" Ogiwara asked, keeping his voice carefully casual.

"I do not understand." Kuroko replied as he watched Nigou sniff at some flowers then sneeze.

"Well, is he at home a lot during the days?"

"He tries to stay at home in his study, but sometimes, he has to go to his office." Kuroko replied as he picked up Nigou just before he attempted to eat a bee.

"Ah, well, it must be safer at home since there's a lot of guards right? Even at night?"

"Yes." Kuroko replied as he gave Ogiwara a sideways glance but otherwise didn't seem suspicious. Ogiwara chuckled as he scratched his head innocently.

"Just wondering if it's like back home!" Kuroko nodded in acceptance as they continued their way through the garden. "So, what's your favorite thing to eat?"

"Vanilla milkshake." Kuroko replied readily, and Ogiwara, remembering how Akashi used to be against anything sugary or unhealthy, grinned mischievously.

"There's a Maji burger around here. Want to grab one?" Ogiwara offered, and Kuroko seemed to study him carefully before nodding.

They promptly left the garden and made their way to the main streets where Ogiwara noticed Kuroko seemed to be uncomfortable amid the sea of shoppers.

"Don't like crowds?" Ogiwara asked with concern, and Kuroko shook his head. With a hum, Ogiwara grabbed Kuroko's wrist and pulled him along quickly, easily weaving through the crowd. When he reached Maji burger, he let go of Kuroko's wrist and turned to him, frowning when he didn't see Kuroko.

"Kuroko?" He called with a frown as he looked around. Did he grab someone else's wrist by accident? But, Nigou was there, and the leash was floating up...He shouted in surprise when Kuroko suddenly appeared in front of him like he had at the airport.

"My apologies." Kuroko said with a small contrite bow, and Ogiwara dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

"It's fine! Just caught me off guard..." It was just like **him.**..were they related? "Anyway! Let's go in. You can probably leave Nigou out here for a while, I'm sure he won't mind."

Kuroko looked hesitant, but after a bit of cajoling, he tied Nigou to a post where he could be seen through the windows and followed Ogiwara inside. He ordered for the both of them and passed Kuroko his milkshake, smiling fondly when the boy's eyes lit up happily.

They sat by the window, so Kuroko could keep an eye on Nigou who had decided to take a nap. Ogiwara ate his fries as he studied the boy across from him. **He **had mentioned that he wanted Akashi dead to punish someone, but surely, that person couldn't be Kuroko. Who would want to harm him? When he killed Akashi, he would take Kuroko home with him and show him a better life, a life of someone who wasn't enslaved.

"Are you happy here?" Ogiwara asked, the question a bit intrusive. Kuroko looked at him curiously.

"I am happy with Akashi-kun." He replied simply as he sipped his milkshake, and Ogiwara frowned. He really did seem brainwashed.

"Ah, what about Kise and Aomine?" Ogiwara asked conversationally, and Kuroko tilted his head in thought.

"I like them when they're not putting holes in walls." Kuroko replied, and Ogiwara quirked an eyebrow at the odd reply.

"Do they...do it often?" Ogiwara asked with a smirk, and Kuroko shook his head.

"I don't think so." He replied as he looked back outside.

They finished their respective meals, if a vanilla milkshake could be referred as a meal, as Ogiwara idly made small chat. Kuroko still didn't talk much, only answering when strictly necessary, but Ogiwara found himself enjoying his company nonetheless.

They left Maji burger and began to make their way home, Kuroko still sipping his beverage, and when they arrived, Akashi's limo was parked up front.

Kuroko's pace immediately quickened, his eyes having a spark of excitement. He barely waited for Ogiwara to follow him into the house. He wiped his feet quickly as Ogiwara slowly took off his shoes, unhurriedly, before following Kuroko down the hallways.

Kuroko knocked on the door which Ogiwara presumed was Akashi's study and waited for his voice to invite him in before he slid open the door and walked in. Ogiwara took his time sauntering in, his eye barely twitching as he saw Kuroko sitting beside Akashi who was examining the flower in his hair.

"I trust that your afternoon was enjoyable?" Akashi asked as he eyed Ogiwara who smirked at him smugly.

"I took him to see that flower garden nearby. I'm surprised you didn't do it already he really liked it." Ogiwara said, slightly smirking when he saw Akashi's eyes narrow just a fraction in annoyance. "I also treated him to a vanilla milkshake. He seems to really like them."

"I see." Akashi said coldly, although his eyes softened when Kuroko looked at him in concern.

"Is that bad?" Kuroko asked hesitantly, and Akashi shook his head.

"Just try not to have them too often; they're unhealthy, although one every once in a while is fine." Akashi replied, and Kuroko nodded his head obediently. Ogiwara looked away slightly, not seeing Akashi's small smirk as he ruffled Kuroko's hair.

"You're too hard on him! Nothing wrong with a few milkshakes here or there!" Ogiwara said lightly with a wheedling tone.

"Perhaps, but I care about his health." Akashi said, resting his head in his hand as he stared at Ogiwara challengingly.

"Ah, I see. I was caring about his happiness." Ogiwara said, accepting and dishing out his own challenge.

Kuroko stared at them both with a tilted head and eyes full of confusion feeling as if he was missing something as they stared at each other, tension mounting, waiting to explode.

"Ah..." Kuroko noised and flinched when two pairs of intense eyes snapped at him.

"Ah, my bad." Ogiwara said as he scratched his head. "Anyways, I enjoyed our afternoon together Kuroko. If you two will excuse me, I must make a phone call."

Ogiwara excused himself before leaving but not before hearing Akashi asked Kuroko about his day. He pulled out his cellphone after idly walking through some hallways and making sure nobody was around and dialed.

"Hello?" A strict voice answered, and Ogiwara's eyes turned grim.

"It's me, Dad." Ogiwara answered. "I have arrived at the Akashi's."

"Very good. You know what to do. I have sent some members from Meiko over to aid you, if you are in need of help. Do not drop your guard." His father commanded, and Ogiwara nodded. "Remember, this is for Meiko. If we don't do this, Meiko will be destroyed."

"I know." Ogiwara said with a raw voice and clenched fists, the plastic in his hand creaking. "I will do it."

"Good. Is that all?"

"Ah, no. I've met someone here, and I would like to bring him over. I believe he's a slave, and once he sees the better side, I'm sure he'll be cooperative with us." Ogiwara said, and his father hummed.

"As long as he doesn't get in our way, I do not disapprove. Be quick." His father ordered, and Ogiwara nodded sharply before hanging up, shadows playing along his bowed head.

* * *

><p>"I'm glad you had a good time." Akashi said after Kuroko finished recounting his day.<p>

"He said that we're friends." Kuroko said softly. "I never had a friend before, even before Haizaki...san. Mother would move us around too much."

Akashi opened his mouth, about to refute that Ogiwara did not truly wish to, but closed his mouth. He didn't want to make the happy spark in Kuroko's eyes disappear. Ogiwara would be gone in a couple of weeks, and hopefully, he wouldn't be stupid enough to make a move that would make Kuroko see the truth.

"I'm glad." Akashi said as he ruffled Kuroko's hair, and Kuroko looked at Akashi fondly.

"How did your day go?" Kuroko asked with concern as he took in the tired bags under Akashi's eyes and the weary lines that marred his face. He timidly touched Akashi's face, and the redhead leaned into the touch slightly.

"A company suddenly wanted to break off contact with mine, so I had to spend the day mending relations, but it's solved now." Akashi replied, and Kuroko nodded, wishing he had been there to give Akashi some support even though he couldn't have helped.

Akashi grabbed Kuroko's sides and easily lifted him onto his lap, so the bluenette was straddling him, wrapping his arms around the smaller frame and resting his head on Kuroko's shoulder. Kuroko stiffened slightly before forcibly relaxing himself. He began to rub Akashi's back while humming, which slowly transcended into singing.

Akashi smirked to himself as he closed his eyes. Ogiwara might think he was making some leeway with Kuroko, but in the end, it was only he who would hear Kuroko's singing voice, and only he who could hold him like this. Kuroko was _his. _

They stayed that way for a while, Akashi half dozing as Kuroko sang on, until a maid knocked on their door, which instantly silenced Kuroko who crawled out of Akashi's lap.

"Come in." Akashi called, and the maid, a little flustered, walked in.

"Ah, my apologies, but I've come to inform you dinner is ready." The maid said, and Akashi frowned before looking at his watch, eyes slightly widening when he saw that they were late for the meal. He made it a point to be punctual with everything, even mealtimes, so he felt a bit annoyed for not paying attention to the time, especially with a guest waiting.

"Thank you." Akashi said politely as he stood up and walked to the dining room with Kuroko following. When they entered, Ogiwara was already sitting, looking a little impatient, but he lit up when he saw Kuroko.

"My apologies for being late." Akashi said before a smirk appeared on his face. "I was being distracted by Tetsuya."

Ogiwara twitched, but he politely accepted the apology as they sat down. It was a fancy meal, and much to Akashi's pleasure, he saw tofu soup, but curiously, it was only enough for one person; usually, there was enough for everybody.

He saw Kuroko looking at it curiously, not having tried it before, and he offered the bowl to Kuroko who was about to accept it when Ogiwara suddenly snatched it, spilling its contents everywhere.

"Ah, my apologies, but I wanted to try some too!" Ogiwara said abashedly, and Akashi frowned as Kuroko got up to get some towels.

"What are you doing Shigehiro?" Akashi asked when Kuroko was gone from the room. Ogiwara smiled coldly.

"I don't know what you're talking about Akashi. It was just an accident." He replied curtly, and Akashi smiled as well with equal coldness.

"I'm glad to see you and _Tetsuya_ getting along." Akashi said pleasantly.

"Yes, I'm glad to have met someone like Kuroko. It's been a _pleasure_." Ogiwara quipped. A maid passed by and shivered when she felt a chill. Perhaps she should turn on the heat?

"Well, I do hope you two get to know each other as much as possible. After all, you do need to return to Hokkaido in a couple of weeks. By then, I'm sure you'll be too busy to even visit again anytime soon." Akashi said with false concern.

"Of course! I plan to spend as _much _time as I can with him." Ogiwara said enthusiastically.

Kuroko returned to the room with towels in his arms, and he shivered as he felt the freezing room temperature, which was odd because it hadn't been that cold when he had left. Shaking it off, he dabbed the table with the towels, Ogiwara giving him a hand, until the soup was cleaned up, although some of the dishes were now ruined.

When the table was cleaned as best as they could manage, every one resumed eating. Akashi, with a smug smirk, picked up some fish with his chopsticks and brought it in front of Kuroko who obediently leaned forward and ate it from his chopsticks, not seeing Ogiwara twitch.

"Hey, Kuroko, when you walk Nigou tomorrow can I come with?" Ogiwara asked. "I know some places around here that I'm sure Akashi's been too busy to show you!"

"Ah..." Kuroko looked at Akashi, whose eyes were narrowed, but he nodded nonetheless. "Yes, Ogiwara-kun."

"Awesome! It's a _date._" Ogiwara said teasingly, and Akashi's grip tightened on his chopsticks, and Kuroko just looked confused.

"Ah, Tetsuya, I just realized that Atsushi could probably make some homemade vanilla milkshakes for you." Akashi said, and Kuroko's eyes brightened.

"Really?" Kuroko asked with traces of excitement, and Akashi nodded, while Ogiwara gritted his teeth, realizing Akashi had won.

"I thought you said milkshakes were unhealthy?" Ogiwara said, and Akashi blinked.

"Well yes, but there's no reason he can't have one every so often, like I also said, and if he were to have one, it would be much better to have it here." Akashi said smoothly, and Ogiwara nodded, hiding clenched fists under the table.

They finished the meal in silence while Kuroko subtly glanced at the two males, wondering why the air seemed so thick with tension which contradicted their neutral expressions.

"Thank you for the meal! I'll be retiring for the night." Ogiwara announced, and both Akashi and Kuroko bid him goodnight.

"I would like to take a shower as I was unable to this morning." Kuroko said, and Akashi nodded.

Kuroko made his way to the bathroom and stripped his clothes, carefully putting the blue flower Ogiwara had given him on top of them, before turning on the shower.

Kuroko sighed as he tilted his head and allowed the water to cascade against him, running a hand through his hair, and closing his eyes to enjoy the warmth. Today had been a long day, and though, it was somewhat strange that he was drained of energy.

With the sound of water hitting the floor, Kuroko didn't hear the door open behind him or notice Akashi walk in. A sound of a throat clearing had Kuroko spinning around in surprise; dropping into a fighting position, only to relax when he saw Akashi looked at him with appreciation in his eyes that looked at him head from toe.

"I wish that you wouldn't sneak up on me." Kuroko said, a little bit of petulance in his tone that had Akashi smirking.

"I was hoping you would allow me to join you." Akashi murmured, and Kuroko blinked before nodding. He watched as Akashi began to strip his clothing and frowned as his heart seemed to quicken as Akashi slowly began to reveal skin.

It was absolutely ridiculous that he felt himself warm up as he watched Akashi slowly strip his clothes, revealing his skin bit by bit. He slept with the man naked every night, and yet, something about this was more erotic. Akashi met his eyes, and Kuroko promptly looked away, missing the smug smirk that curled Akashi's lips.

Kuroko felt hyperaware of Akashi's presence as the redhead joined him under the shower, and he cursed himself for the blush that appeared on his face. He wasn't a virgin, far from it, so why was he acting like one?

"Something wrong?" Akashi purred in a teasing tone, and Kuroko watched as the watched as the water darkened Akashi's hair and dripped down his body.

"No." Kuroko replied bluntly as he kept his gaze away from Akashi who hummed. A single finger touched the bottom of Kuroko's chin, bringing it closer to Akashi and tilting it back. Kuroko's breath hitched ever so slightly as intense eyes stared into his.

"Are you sure?" Akashi asked huskily, and Kuroko felt the blush on his cheeks darken slightly. He tried to step back, to put some distance between him and Akashi, but the redhead followed him step to step until Kuroko felt his back hit the cold tiled wall.

"Akashi-kun." Kuroko said with a bit of a waver in his tone.

"Just Akashi." The redhead said in a commanding tone, and Kuroko inaudibly gulped.

"Akashi." Kuroko said, and Akashi smiled at him approvingly before kissing him gently. A hand weaved through Kuroko's hair, tilting his head up slightly to make the kiss easier as he deepened it, and the other hand pressed against the small of Kuroko's back, forcing his body closer to Akashi's.

Kuroko, in turn, hesitantly wrapped his arms around Akashi, his fingers digging into the wet skin ever so slightly. The hand on his back began sliding downwards, and Kuroko arched slightly as it cupped his butt, stroking the skin with his thumb, Akashi's eyes open to judge his reaction.

Akashi broke the kiss and began kissing Kuroko's neck, repeatedly marking the skin with harsh bites that he would lick apologetically. The hand in his hair slid down his back, nails scratching the skin with enough pressure to leave red lines but not break skin. Kuroko let out a small moan.

The hand joined the other and both began kneading his cheeks, forcing Kuroko to push his hips against Akashi's, their cocks rubbing against each other each time. Kuroko moaned again softly, and he felt the lips on his neck curl into a smirk before opening and licking the beads of water.

Kuroko could feel them both begin to harden, and the hands on his butt became more insistent, pushing him into Akashi in quicker intervals.

"Akashi…" Kuroko groaned, and Akashi made one last mark on his neck before looking into Kuroko's eyes. A hand slid around to Kuroko's front, and the boy let out a small shout as it gripped his member firmly and began to stroke. "No…"

"No, what?" Akashi asked, pausing, and Kuroko looked at him determinedly.

"Not just me." He whispered, and Akashi looked vaguely surprised before his lids lowered slightly, his eyes sparking with lust. He pushed Kuroko firmly against the wall and grinded his cock against Kuroko's, both of them letting out a soft pant.

"Give me your hand." Akashi ordered, and Kuroko immediately obeyed. Akashi cupped his hand in his and forced it to wrap around both their cocks, guiding it to move up and down. Kuroko bit his lip and lightly slammed his head against the wall behind him, and Akashi immediately attacked his offered neck.

The hand around his began to forcibly make the strokes faster, and Kuroko whined, panting heavily, his eyes glazed as he looked at the ceiling as Akashi continued to decorate his skin roughly with bruises, determined to mark what was his.

Kuroko's free hand wrapped around Akashi's arm, in what had to be a painful grip, but Akashi didn't complain. He began to thrust lightly in their hands, the action causing a delicious friction between their members as they both moaned.

Kuroko involuntarily began to also thrust against Akashi, the larger hand cupping his own, the only reason he was able to keep a hold on the moving cocks, and he let out an embarrassing loud groan as he felt a tingling in his belly that had him thrusting almost frantically.

"Akashi!" Kuroko said pleadingly, and Akashi moved his head, so his mouth was right by Kuroko's ear.

"Cum." Akashi huskily ordered as he grinded hard into Kuroko.

Kuroko shouted loudly, the sound echoing against the bathroom walls, as overwhelming pleasure flowed through him, his eyes clenching close, and the feeling of something hot and thick spilling onto his stomach. It was only until the pleasure began to recede was when Kuroko was able to realize that Akashi was softly moaning into his ear.

After a long moment passed, the two trying to catch their breaths, Kuroko's legs buckled, suddenly weak, and he slowly slid to the ground. Akashi chuckled huskily as he kneeled down and kissed Kuroko deeply and slowly.

"It's a good thing we're in the shower this time." Akashi said with a soft chuckle after he broke the kiss, and Kuroko merely gave him a deadpanned look, the effect ruined by his flushed cheeks and misty eyes. "Come on."

Akashi lifted Kuroko up to his feet and allowed the smaller male to lean against him slightly as he directed him back under the shower. Getting some shampoo, Akashi began to lather up Kuroko's hair, lightly scrubbing his scalp with his nails, and much to his surprise, Kuroko reciprocated the action by also getting shampoo and lightly lathering Akashi's hair with gentle fingers.

Next, they began to wash each other, exploring each other's body, memorizing every inch. Kuroko's soapy hands traced a nearly invisible scar on Akashi's torso which Akashi informed him he had gotten from a kidnapping attempt. He had another scar, from Kise misfiring his gun at a young age, on his arm which Kuroko gently kissed.

They rinsed off and dried off, Kuroko yawning sleepily, and Akashi rubbing his eyes as he fought back his own yawn, tired from a long day.

They made their way back to their rooms, and Kuroko pulled on some shorts while Akashi merely pulled off the towel around him and laid down on the futon sleepily.

A few seconds later, Kuroko slipped into the futon, but much to Akashi's surprise, instead of lying between him and the wall as usual, Kuroko laid down on top of Akashi, his legs between the redheads and head tucked under Akashi's chin.

Akashi quickly got over his surprise, and he wrapped Kuroko up in his arms as they both closed their eyes and let sleep overcome them.

* * *

><p>Ogiwara spent several seconds sliding Akashi's door open, making sure the door didn't make a single sound. It was the dead of night, and nobody was awake, except for him. He entered the dark room, which was slightly lit up by the light in the hallway, revealing two bodies lying on a futon.<p>

Ogiwara kneeled down, knife clutched in a shaky hand, as he observed them, a furious look on his face when he realized that it was Kuroko lying on top of Akashi. His body was on top of Akashi's heart, and his head covered his throat, so there was no way to kill Akashi without hurting Kuroko, which he was not willing to do.

He didn't even want to kill Akashi, but he had to. Meiko was slowly disappearing as members left and chose to join Teiko because of its power. Soon, a rival gang would be able to get rid of Meiko completely, and then, what would happen to his gang members? To his family? No, he didn't want to kill Akashi, but he would for Meiko.

Then, he would take Kuroko and show him that life was better there. He would give Kuroko a happy life. A life he didn't have in the past. Ogiwara traced the scars on Kuroko's back; deep angry lines marred his small body. He would make him happier than he could possibly be with Akashi.

Tomorrow. He would make a plan that would keep Kuroko unharmed and kill Akashi. Ogiwara stood up and swiftly left the room, closing the door behind him but not before taking the same pains to be quiet. Kuroko blinked open his eyes, scanning the room before closing them again when he saw that it was empty.


	16. Chapter 16

Wonderfully beta'd by AokazuSei

* * *

><p>'<em>This dream… is different from the others…' Was Kuroko's first thought. <em>

_Kuroko found himself walking through a white void with no end in sight. He tried calling out, but no answer came; his voice didn't even echo as he half expected. This wasn't like his other dreams where memories were mixed into insanity. It didn't even feel...like he was in his own head. _

_He continued to walk around aimlessly, calling out every so often, trying to will himself awake in Akashi's arms, but to no avail. _

_Suddenly, there was a muffled sound behind him, and Kuroko turned around, his eyes widening when he saw Ogiwara tied up in white collars. Kuroko quickly tried to free him, but the collars were too tight, and there was no visible clasp to open them. _

"_Ah, Ogiwara-kun." Kuroko said helplessly, but curiously, Ogiwara's orange eyes didn't look helpless or scared, just resigned and hopeless. "Ogiwara...kun." _

"_There are two types of people in this world, as I am sure you know." A voice whispered in his ear, and Kuroko turned. His eyes set on the one person who had been plaguing his dreams and memories, despite his efforts to keep them locked up. _

"_What do you mean?" Kuroko asked softly. _

"_There are the people who are tools, and there are the people who use the tools. Isn't that a lesson we both learned the hard way?" _

"_..." Kuroko turned his head and looked back at Ogiwara, fruitlessly tugging at the collars with his hands even though he knew that he wasn't strong enough to free him. The one in control wasn't him. _

"_You were, and still are, a tool, but I...I refuse to be a tool again." _

"_So, you choose to be the person who uses people. You choose to be like Haizaki?" Kuroko asked bitterly as he stood up and faced his brother who sneered angrily, his eyes flashing with hate. _

"_I will be nothing like him. I'll be stronger than him!"_

"_Is this what I did to you?" Kuroko asked, his voice wavering and fists clenched. His brother narrowed his eyes in sheer determination. _

"_I will get my revenge." _

"_If...If it will free you, make you better, then I will let you." Kuroko said firmly. There was a bang, and bloody holes appeared in both of their chests, yet their eyes showed none of their pain._

* * *

><p>Kuroko woke up with a jolt instead of his usual calm awakenings, his head faintly pounding, and a feeling of utter desolation in his chest. Kuroko bit back a whimper as he held the body beneath him in a tighter hold, all in an attempt to seep up the warmth under him, only, to no avail as he tried to push back the onslaught of memories that threatened to overwhelm him.<p>

"Tetsuya?" A voice ladened with fatigue called. Kuroko flinched, which he immediately berated himself for. The body under him sat up, so he was curled up in Akashi's lap, leaning against a strong chest as arms tightened around him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Kuroko replied, a little too quickly for his liking, but was able to keep his voice emotionless.

"I don't believe you. Was it a nightmare?" Kuroko was going to deny it, but then, he realized that a half-truth would be more easily believed than an outright lie.

"Yes, just of my past." Kuroko said smoothly, and Akashi sighed, his emperor eye flashing.

"If you want to talk about it, I'm here." Akashi settled on saying. He disliked Kuroko lying to him, but he felt it was unsafe to push him.

"Thank you Akashi-kun." Kuroko replied gratefully.

"_Akashi_." The redhead stressed, and Kuroko sighed. Soon, Akashi would insist on being called by his first name, which Kuroko refused to do.

"Thank you, Akashi." He said in resignation, and the redhead tightened his arms around him, almost painfully, causing Kuroko to sigh in contentment as the warmth enveloped him. He wasn't sure if it was normal or if it was just his imagination, but Akashi always seemed warmer than a normal person.

It comforted him more than he could admit, being wrapped in his arms like he was, like a safety net where no one could harm him. Kuroko could easily protect himself, but it still felt...fulfilling to not have to. He was able to completely relax and drop his guard, a luxury only Akashi could give him.

A warm hand rubbed circles into his skin, and Akashi murmured sweet nothings into his ear, coaxing him back to sleep. Kuroko drowsily closed his eyes as his consciousness slowly faded away, allowing him to go back to sleep, somehow knowing that he wouldn't have anymore dreams this time.

* * *

><p>"Tetsuya, it's time to wake up." Kuroko's eyes lazily opened, the sleepy fog in his head dissipating, and he frowned when he realized he did not know what time it was. He tried to talk, but all that came out was a tired incoherent mumble. "It's time for breakfast."<p>

Kuroko's eyes widened as he jolted into a sitting position as he stared at Akashi in astonishment as he was dressing into his favorite red kimono. He had never slept in before; it was against his training to do so, but then again, Akashi had a way of breaking everything he had learned without even trying.

"My apologies for sleeping in." Kuroko said as he stifled a yawn and dragged himself out of bed to put on his Teiko uniform.

"No apologies are needed." Akashi said easily as he watched Kuroko in amusement as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "Although we need to get going or we'll be late for breakfast."

"Yes, Akashi." Kuroko replied as he checked all his knives to ensure they were all there before following Akashi out of the room. He braced himself for the sound of running paws and excited barks and frowned when none reached his ears.

"Perhaps he is still sleeping." Akashi suggested, and Kuroko nodded, although he doubted it since the dog always woke up when he did. Still, Kuroko shrugged it off. If Nigou didn't show up after breakfast, then he would search for him.

The two walked down the hallways until they reached the dining room where they saw Ogiwara entering as well.

"Good morning." Ogiwara greeted as they entered and sat around the table which was full of steaming hot food placed on fancy silverware just like the day before. Akashi and Kuroko repeated the greeting before everyone began to eat.

"Was your bed not to your liking?" Akashi asked as he took in Ogiwara's pale skin, tired bags under his eyes indicating a sleepless night, which reflected badly on Akashi as a host.

"Ah, no everything was perfect. I was just thinking about Meiko for most of the night. You know how it is, I'm sure." Ogiwara said dismissively, and Akashi nodded while Kuroko looked at Ogiwara with some concern. "Ah, so what are the plans for today?"

"I will be staying here today, unless you wish for me to accompany you around the area." Akashi said pleasantly. "Is there anything you would like to do today?"

"Nah, I'll probably go play basketball with Aomine and Kise later. I met with them earlier and suggested they go play." Ogiwara said politely, and the conversation dropped.

They ate the rest of the meal in relative silence. Every so often, Ogiwara tried to start a conversation back up, but he seemed too preoccupied with his thoughts to keep it going. His eyes seemed darker, and the air around him seemed different as well, which had Akashi looking at him suspiciously while Kuroko's concern grew.

When they finished their breakfast, they left the room and Kuroko looked around, hoping Nigou would greet them, but there still wasn't any sign of the dog.

"Ah, are you looking for Nigou?" Ogiwara asked, and Kuroko nodded as he slightly chewed his bottom lip with worry. "I think I saw him outside."

"Odd, Nigou is not allowed outside yet. He's too young to be outside alone, and he might run away." Akashi said with a frown. From what he had seen so far, Nigou was well behaved and didn't do anything he knew he shouldn't, this included going outside without Kuroko.

"I will go get him." Kuroko said before he rushed off through the hallways, hoping Nigou hadn't left the property.

The hallways were quiet as Kuroko rushed through them silently, having a vague feeling of something amiss, but not knowing where the feeling stemmed from. He tried to staunch the feeling as he opened the front door and stepped out, feeling relieved when he saw Nigou by a tree.

He was halfway to Nigou when he realized that the dog was actually tied to the tree. Kuroko frowned as he paused to look around his surroundings.

The guards who had been idly standing around were now encircling him threateningly, and Kuroko dropped into a fighting stance as he watched them warily, realizing that these weren't Akashi's guards. Honestly, Akashi should invest in getting new ones.

"We're not going to hurt you." One of them said as they completely surrounded him. "Just stay still, everything will be alright."

"Who are you working for? Seirin?" Kuroko demanded, but even as he said it, he knew it wouldn't have been Seirin. They seemed too high and mighty to break a contract like this, and Akashi would have been alerted of their presence in his territory.

"You'll find out later when this is over. For now, please stay still and cooperate with us." Another man said gruffly, and Kuroko used his ability, causing a couple of the men to shout in surprise.

"Hold your places men. He mentioned that the kid could do this. Just keep tight, and he won't be able to get past us." Another man said, and Kuroko glared dangerously before he kicked the man in the stomach as hard as he could, feeling petty and tired of people underestimating him. The man bowed down in pain, and Kuroko drove his knee up into his forehead before pushing him onto the ground.

Two people tried to grab him, but Kuroko ducked to the ground and using the same movements as Nijimura did when they had fought, he used his leg to sweep them off their feet. He quickly stood back up and roundhouse kicked the last man standing in the head, knocking him onto the ground. Kuroko pulled out a knife but paused when he realized that he didn't want to kill them.

With a sigh, Kuroko slammed an elbow into one of the men's head, knocking him out. For now, it would be enough until he got orders to kill.

There was a click, and Kuroko dodged just as a gun was fired in his general direction, nearly hitting his comrade by mistake. "I told you to cooperate!"

Gritting his teeth in annoyance, Kuroko grabbed the man's wrist and twisted it cruelly until the man shouted and let go of the gun in pain. The boy grabbed the gun and slammed it against the man's temple, knocking him out.

Out of sheer luck, one of the two men conscious managed to lunge at him and wrap his arms around him, constricting his arms to his side. The man was larger than him, so Kuroko couldn't easily escape from the strong arms.

"I got you, you little bugger!" The man said triumphantly as he grinned to his partner.

"He didn't mention the fact that the kid could fight." The man muttered as he looked at his three unconscious comrades.

Suddenly, there were gunshots that came from inside, and the arms loosened slightly around Kuroko as the man jumped slightly in surprise. Kuroko took advantage of this distraction and slammed his elbows into the man's chest. The man stumbled back in pain, and Kuroko stopped using his ability and pointed his gun at him.

"Who do you work for?" Kuroko asked as the two froze and stared at the barrel of the gun. "I will kill you."

"Look, kid, put the gun down." One of the men said soothingly as he stepped forward, and Kuroko's eye twitched before he shot him in the leg. The man screeched in pain as he fell down, clutching his bleeding limb.

"I will ask one last time. If you don't answer, I will kill you." Kuroko said dangerously, his eyes flashing. "Who do you work for?"

"Meiko." The man he hadn't shot answered with wide eyes, and Kuroko blinked slowly as he processed the single word. The man didn't seem to be deceiving him, but that would mean that Ogiwara had...had betrayed them.

Kuroko clenched his teeth as betrayal filled him, and he slammed the gun against the man's head, using more force than necessary, effectively knocking him out. Kuroko did the same for the other man before he ran into the house, hoping he wasn't too late, berating himself all the while.

He had been a bit suspicious yesterday when Ogiwara had asked about Akashi's security, but he hadn't though that he would do this. Damnit, he really was getting soft. This blunder could have costed Akashi his life.

* * *

><p>Midorima and Momoi had been in the middle of contacting all the branch leaders to check on their progress when two men had barged into the room, guns in hand. Momoi had gasped, but otherwise, the two showed no reaction, instead held up their hands in surrender.<p>

"Please, stay calm, and I won't hurt you." The man said as his partner left to secure the other rooms.

"What's going on?" Momoi said fearfully, tears in her eyes, looking every bit of a scared damsel with Midorima being the only one in the room who could see she was faking. "Please! I'm scared."

She shook, and the man lowered his gun slightly in sympathy as Midorima subtly edged away from the pinkette. When he was out of the man's immediate view, he slipped his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out two items, a plush frog and a gun.

He shot the man in the head with deadly accuracy, and Momoi barely blinked as the man fell down with a heavy thunk.

"Foolish to think that someone in Teiko can't fight back, although we are lucky you are a trained sniper." Momoi commented coldly, her eyes cold and analytical.

"I can't miss with my lucky item." Midorima said as he raised his gun as footsteps could be heard running toward them.

Murasakibara Atsushi was a cook, the best in the country in fact, however, before that, he was a fighter. Everyone in Teiko, even the staff, had to be trained to fight at the drop of a dime, so when he found himself, along with the other staff including the maids, surrounded by men with guns, he did not panic.

Instead, he subtly handed out knives that everyone distributed among each other, their blank eyes disguising their malicious intentions.

When Murasakibara was sure everyone had some sort of weapon, he grabbed a cooking pan and slammed it against a man's skull and threw a knife at another. Soon, gunshots erupted throughout the household. Murasakibara was too preoccupied in taking down as many men as he could to look to see if someone was hit.

He heard gunshots from downstairs, but he had to have faith that Akashi was alright. He was their boss, and he wasn't easy to take down; he just chose to have bodyguards to do the work for him.

"Take their guns!" Murasakibara called and watched with pride as the staff he worked with every day swiftly knock out the men and retrieve their weapons. He would reward everyone with handmade cake.

* * *

><p>Nijimura was not amused in the least. It hadn't been a very good morning. New recruits had come in untrained and, as it was every time, they were a headache. So, the morning had started off rather badly, and it only went downhill when his precious dojo, which he had inherited from his father, was seized by idiots wearing Teiko guard's clothing.<p>

Not only had they dared to sully his clean floors with their dirty feet, but they had the audacity to bring guns in a _fighting _dojo. It was honestly the biggest show of disrespect that they could have done.

The new recruits looked ready to piss their pants, which had Nijimura's eye twitching in annoyance, but at least his other students stood their ground and showed nothing on their faces. Nijimura kept their faces in mind, so he could reward them earlier while he came up with a stricter training menu for the others.

A gun was cocked beside his head, the cold metal pressing into his skin, and Nijimura adorned a deadpanned look.

"I will give you 3 seconds to leave this dojo." Nijimura said coldly as he stood up straight, and the man holding the gun chuckled even as Nijimura began counting down.

"3...2...1..." Nijimura grabbed the hand at the same time it pressed the trigger and bowed down, so the bullet hit another intruder in the head before sharply twisting and grappling the gun out of his hand.

His students flew at the intruders with swiftness that did him proud as he shot as many intruders as he could, choosing to shoot them in none fatal spots, so he could interrogate them later.

"Watch them. If they try to escape, kill them." Nijimura ordered, and his students all nodded in affirmation. "Most of you have done me proud."

He made his way to the house where more gunshots could be heard. He dropped his own guns since he preferred using his fists. He was making his way to Akashi's study when he heard shouting, the voices sounding like Aomine and Kise's coming from the basement.

With a small furrow of his eyebrows, Nijimura made his way downstairs and sighed in small exasperation when he saw a bar resting on the door handles of the gym door, effectively locking the bodyguards in. He slipped the bar out, and the door slammed open as they burst out.

"It was Ogiwara!" Kise snarled angrily as they ran up the stairs, and Nijimura stifled the surprise he felt. Right now, reclaiming the compromised house was first priority.

* * *

><p>Akashi looked at the gun pointing at his head unconcerned as he observed the man in front of him. Ogiwara's jaw clenched, his eyes full of wild unstable determination, angry that he didn't elicit any emotion from Akashi; even now, the redhead was looking down at him.<p>

"I want you to disband Teiko and give all the territories to Meiko." Ogiwara ordered, and Akashi gave him a bored look, even as gunshots echoed through his home.

"Or you'll kill me?" Akashi asked in confirmation, and Ogiwara pulled back the safety with a click in reply.

"I don't want to kill you, but I will for Meiko." Ogiwara said, and Akashi eyed the shaky hands.

"You've never killed before have you? It's a lot harder than you would think. Can you even do it?" Akashi asked as he leaned forward and rested his head on his intertwined raised hands. Ogiwara pulled the trigger, and a bullet nearly grazed Akashi's head. "Oh, yes, you can give warning shots, but could you live with yourself if you actually killed me?"

"I have to! I've been trained to do anything for Meiko, and I will kill you." Ogiwara said, and Akashi looked at him thoughtfully.

"I've heard Meiko was dwindling, but I do not believe that has anything to do with me." Akashi replied, and Ogiwara gritted his teeth.

"Everyone is leaving Meiko for Teiko. If Teiko is disbands, then they'll come back." Akashi nodded mockingly, his eyes full of amusement.

"Did it not occur to you that they left for a reason? Instead of shifting the blame on me, why not investigate Meiko and its policies?" Akashi reasoned.

"It's your fault for accepting them!" Ogiwara shouted, and Akashi sighed, like how a parent would sigh at a disobedient child, which had Ogiwara clenching his teeth in anger.

"I don't think you would do this on your own will. Did your parents send you?" Akashi asked, and Ogiwara flinched minutely, but Akashi caught the movement. "I see. Well, that's rather unfortunate."

"Just disband Teiko and you can live!" Ogiwara said, and Akashi hummed as he looked at the door.

"It's taking an awfully long time to collect a dog, wouldn't you say?" Akashi asked, and Ogiwara snarled as he fired another warning shot in frustration at not being taken seriously.

"I've had some member apprehend him. I've seen the collar and the signs. He's a slave to you isn't he?" Ogiwara demanded, and Akashi sighed.

"You're the second person to accuse me of this. Tetsuya is here because he wishes to be." Akashi said with mild exasperation, although Ogiwara was far from convinced.

"So, you didn't buy him for your own use?"

"Oh, no, I did buy him, still am in fact, but he remains by my side by his own choice." Akashi replied.

"I don't believe you. I'm going to bring him back and show him a life without servitude." Ogiwara said determinedly, and Akashi stifled a bubble of laughter that threatened to burst out from his throat.

"I'm sure you only have his wellbeing in mind and no impure feelings. However, you'll find that it won't be that easy." Akashi said smugly, still eyeing the door curiously.

"He's not coming, he's been captured!" Ogiwara said, trying to get Akashi's attention. It reminded him of his childhood where he would always try to get Akashi's attention, to be good enough to be acknowledged by the redhead, but Akashi always remained aloof.

"I suppose you thought he would be all docile during all this." Akashi said, and Ogiwara was about to answer when the door slammed open. Akashi tilted his head to the side to avoid the bullet Ogiwara had shot in his startled state.

"Tetsuya, so good for you to join us." Akashi greeted, and even though Ogiwara could not see him, he could hear the soft tap of bare feet walking on the tatami mats, and he could see Akashi watching the invisible boy make his way to his side.

"How did you get away from them?" Ogiwara asked with surprise as Kuroko appeared in front of Akashi, shielding the redhead with his own body.

"I knocked them all out. They aren't as well trained as Teiko members." Kuroko said coldly, his eyes glowed coldly as they glared at Ogiwara, condemning his betrayal.

"Kuroko, get out of the way." Ogiwara pleaded, not lowering the gun, but Kuroko shook his head. "You don't have to do this. I can give you a better life than he has."

"I am happy by his side." Kuroko said quietly, pulling out a knife and holding it in his hand threateningly. "I belong by his side. Lower your gun or I will kill you."

"Kuroko..." Ogiwara's eyes widened when he saw the cold glint in Kuroko's eyes. It was at that moment, he realized he had made a mistake in underestimating the boy. Standing there, head held high, knife in hand, eyes without a bit of hesitancy, Ogiwara could tell that Kuroko would kill him.

Nijimura, Midorima, Momoi, Kise, Aomine, and Murasakibara entered the room, various weapons in their hands, with the exception for Nijimura who glared at Ogiwara coldly as he dropped into a fighting stance. Ogiwara finally lowered his gun in defeat, but even then, Kuroko refused to budge.

Instead, Akashi stood up and looked at Ogiwara with mocking sympathy. "Now, you will answer my questions? Or, do I will kill you and all the members you've brought here?"

"Fine." Ogiwara whispered as Aomine took his gun from his hands.

"Your parents sent you here to assassinate me?" Akashi confirmed, and Ogiwara nodded sharply. "Was there anyone else involved?"

"There...there was another person involved. He came one day and talked to them, telling them that the only way to keep Meiko alive was to kill you." Ogiwara said softly. "You have to understand, Meiko is everything to us. Without Meiko, we would be nothing."

"Of course, I understand. Now, tell me the name of the person." Ogiwara hesitated, close and opened his eyes, then sighed, his eyes staring at the weapons pointed at him with defeat.

"His name is Chihiro Mayuzumi." Kuroko gasped, garnering the attention of everyone in the room, his hand flying to the collar around his arm. Without even thinking, his body moving on its own, he darted forward and clenching Ogiwara's clothes desperately.

"What did he say? Why did he want Akashi dead?" Kuroko demanded harshly, and Ogiwara was taken aback while Akashi's eyes narrowed.

"H-he said that he wanted to teach someone a lesson, and that Akashi's death would do it." Kuroko's hands dropped to his side numbly as he stepped back, his eyes blank. Akashi frowned, annoyed that Ogiwara had hurt Kuroko; it didn't matter if he was just answering the question. Akashi pulled out his gun and handed it to Kuroko who stared at it blankly.

"Kill him, Tetsuya." Akashi ordered, feeling that Kuroko deserved that right since it had been him who Ogiwara had truly betrayed with promises of friendship.

Kuroko reflexively raised the gun and his finger curled around the trigger but then froze as feelings of nostalgia ran through him.

This sort of situation...it was exactly like before. No...It wasn't like before, Ogiwara was nothing like **him**, but still, Ogiwara was someone he had found himself liking, sympathizing with, he wasn't just a nobody like the other people he had killed. This situation reminded him too much of his past.

"Ah..." Kuroko let out, his eyes wide as memories invaded his mind, and this time he couldn't lock them up as he pointed his gun at Ogiwara as he was torn by memories and orders. He didn't want to kill Ogiwara even if he tried to kill Akashi.

"_Please_." The plea fell out of his mouth before he could stop it as his hand wavered, and Akashi's eyes narrowed.

"Stop." The redhead said softly, and Kuroko immediately dropped his arm, the gun falling to the ground as he bowed his head to hide his expression.

Ogiwara looked at Kuroko longingly and with sorrow, self-loathing filling him as he realized what he had made Kuroko go through. It was on Akashi's orders, but it was his actions that had led up to this. Still, he couldn't make himself fully regret his actions. It was for Meiko.

"It would seem Tetsuya doesn't wish for your death." Akashi said his tone soft but full of venom before he closed his eyes and visibly calmed himself. When he opened them, there was nothing but a blank face. "Our family has had a truce for several generations, strengthened by blood; however, it has been diluted. Today, that truce has been broken, and I have no wish to fix it.

However, if I kill you, there will be a war between Teiko and Meiko, and I do not wish for that for now. So, I will allow you to live. You can go back home, but if anybody from Meiko steps onto my territory, they will be killed. That should solve most of your problems of Meiko members leaving."

Ogiwara's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief that Akashi would do such a thing. It was more than he deserved for being caught; most gang leaders would have killed him on the spot, and he thought Akashi would do the same.

"Ryouta and Daiki, I wish for you to escort Shigehiro and any members of his gang still alive out of my territory. You are not to leave them until they are on the plane." Aomine and Kise both nodded sharply before roughly shoving Ogiwara out of the room. "Shuzo, go back to your students. Atsushi, go back to the cooks, maids and servants and make sure everything gets back to order. Shintaro and Satsuki please send a formal letter to the head of Meiko to inform them of the breaking of our truce."

"Yes!" Everyone said simultaneously before marching out of the room. Akashi sighed warily, allowing himself to relax slightly before turning to Kuroko who hadn't budged.

With cautious gentle hands, Akashi cupped Kuroko's face and tilted it up. But instead of his usual expression, which used to hold a bit of his humanity, he peered into glassy vacant eyes that looked nostalgically like the moment Akashi had first met him. Except, this time it was slightly different; he was broken and trapped in the insanity of his own mind, unable to get out.

"Tetsuya." Akashi said in the commanding tone that Kuroko always listened to, but there was no reaction, just a small spark that quickly faded. "Answer me."

"May I be dismissed?" Kuroko asked in a nearly broken voice, and Akashi blinked, trying to hide his surprise at getting a response. The redhead studied Kuroko for a long moment before sighing and stepping back.

"You may go, but I will be checking up on you later." Akashi acquiesced, and Kuroko inclined his head as he walked out of the room, stumbling a little.

Akashi sighed as he closed his eyes and thought. Kuroko had acted strange at the mention of the name Chihiro Mayuzumi, but he had gone into catatonic-like state when he had been ordered to kill Ogiwara. However, Akashi refused to believe it was just that. Kuroko had killed hundreds of people in his past, so something like killing Ogiwara shouldn't have traumatized him.

Akashi shook his head and reopened his eyes before he swiftly left the room, intent on checking the state of his household. Hopefully, by the time he was finished, Kuroko would be better or at least in a better state to talk.

The cooks and maids were back on schedule, bustling about cleaning, and cooking, while Murasakibara watched over them. The Teiko guards who were on duty had all been knocked out and tied in an empty room. Nigou had been still tied to the tree, and he barked happily and ran back into the house as soon as Akashi had untied hm. Midorima and Momoi were writing the letter, and Akashi had Midorima give everyone monetary compensation for the distress of the event.

Hours passed by before Akashi went to Kuroko who was in his room, not Akashi's, sitting in the middle of the floor staring at a wall mindlessly. Nigou ran to the boy, but he didn't elicit any response, making him whine worriedly and paw at his owner's legs.

"Tetsuya." Akashi sighed as he kneeled in front of the boy who just continued to stare through him. No matter what Akashi did or said, he wasn't able to garner a response from Kuroko. The redhead was beginning to worry.

He was no therapist nor did he know of any. He did not know how to help Kuroko in this situation, and he had an inkling that, even if he did manage to hire one, nobody would be able to help Kuroko.

Dinner came and went and even though Akashi had the food brought into the room, as opposed to the dining room, yet Kuroko refused to eat even when Akashi pressed bits of food to his lips.

Finally, nightfall hit, and after hours of failed coaxing, Akashi retired to his bedroom, hating being unable to help him. Perhaps, Kuroko would be better tomorrow, and if he wasn't, Akashi would figure something out. He refused to lose Kuroko.

Akashi laid in his futon and kept his eyes on the ceiling, knowing he would be unable to sleep, his thoughts on Kuroko and trying to figure out how to help the boy got the better of him.

Suddenly, his door slid open, and from the hallway light, Akashi made out blue hair before the door slid closed again to block out the light. Light footsteps walked in, but it was too dark to discern Kuroko's precise location.

There was a small shifting sound, presumably of Kuroko sitting down, and Akashi sat up but didn't move off his futon, wary of scaring the boy off.

"Would you like to hear a story?" Kuroko whispered in a small childlike voice, and from the sound of it, he was sitting in the center of the room.

"Yes." Akashi replied, the feeling of something important about to happen filling the air with anticipation.

"This is a story of two twins named Kuroko Tetsuya and Mayuzumi Chihiro."

Omake: from last chapter that you guys wanted to see. DUN JUDGE ME

"I took him to see that flower garden nearby. I'm surprised you didn't do it already he really liked it." Ogiwara said, slightly smirking when he saw Akashi's eyes narrow just a fraction in annoyance. "I also treated him to a vanilla milkshake. He seems to really like them."

"I see." Akashi said coldly, although his eyes softened when Kuroko looked at him in concern.

"Is that bad?" Kuroko asked hesitantly, and Akashi shook his head.

"Just try not to have them too often; they're unhealthy, although one every once in a while is fine." Akashi replied, and Kuroko nodded his head obediently. Ogiwara looked away slightly, not seeing Akashi's small smirk as he ruffled Kuroko's hair.

"You're too hard on him! Nothing wrong with a few milkshakes here or there!" Ogiwara said lightly with a wheedling tone.

"You're too hard on him! Nothing wrong with a few milkshakes here or there!" Ogiwara said lightly with a cajoling tone.

"Perhaps, but I care about his health." Akashi said, resting his head in his hand as he stared at Ogiwara challengingly.

"Ah, I see. I was caring about his happiness." Ogiwara said, accepting and dishing out his own challenge.

Kuroko stared at them both with a tilted head and eyes full of confusion feeling as if he was missing something as they stared at each other, tension mounting, waiting to explode.

And explode it did because I swear to god I can't write this chapter anymore.

The house began to shake and the trio braced themselves. There was screaming as a naked Kise, ran into the room, eyes full of panic as he showed the unwilling audience parts of him they didn't want to see.

"I unleashed them!" Kise yelled as Aomine also ran into the room with uncharacteristic panic on his face.

"What did you unleash?" Ogiwara asked with wide eyes.

"Akashi's secret weapon!" Kise whispered dramatically before a rainbow went through the wall and everyone screamed except for Akashi who pulled out a sword out of nowhere and tried to cut through the rainbow but the rainbow was not deterred. No, this was a special rainbow made of gummies and lollipops and could not be cut with a mere sword.

They ran from the house but the rainbow because raining a special purple goo that held them in place because it didn't want them escaping from the love of colors.

Rainbows began to cut through Akashi's house crushing the inhabitants with love. Each end anchored to the ground and a pot of gold appeared. Leprechauns wearing green suits and had blue skin, they were cousins of the smurfs of course, appeared and began to dance happily in the wreckage of the house as they threw gold coins in the air in pure happiness.

This was Akashi's experiment that he had hidden in his closet. It was a failure though but he had planned to use it for world dominate because Akashi thought he was suited to be the mastermind of the entire world. Instead it got him in the end because Kise decided to look through his closet to borrow one of his kimonos so he could cosplay Akashi.

The end.


	17. Chapter 17

Wonderfully beta'd by AokazuSei

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Mayuzumi Chihiro, he's my fraternal twin brother, older than me by a mere few minutes. I'm not sure why, but my mom had him keep our father's surname. I think it was just to remind herself of our father. Chihiro inherited most of our father's traits while I had inherited most of mother's traits. He wasn't born with the ability to lower his own presence like I was; though, I have reason to believe that he may have acquired it now… somehow. <strong>_

_**I was a crybaby when I was a child. I didn't know how to control my ability, so I was afraid that one day, no one would be able to see me again. But, every time I would cry, my brother would always be there to cheer me up.**_

_**Even when we were kidnapped, he remained by my side, cheering me up, not letting me give up. Until I killed him...Or so I thought at least."**_

Kuroko cried softly as he hid behind a bush, sniffling and rubbing his eyes with a small balled up fist, as he hid from the other children. People passed him by, but even though they heard him crying, they never bothered to question the sobs. Even if they did, they wouldn't have been able to see him.

Suddenly, the bush rustled. Only when he heard Mayuzumi call his name did Kuroko look up with tear-filled blue eyes. His steel eyes was looking in Kuroko's general direction but was still unable to see him.

"Chihiro!" Kuroko hiccupped as he lunged at his brother, who fell on his butt from the sudden weight.

"Ah, there you are." Mayuzumi said as he patted Kuroko's hair and wiped the tears off his cheeks. "It happened again didn't it?"

"They called me a ghost!" Kuroko wailed, and Mayuzumi wrapped his arms around him reassuringly. "Why can't I control it? What if I dis...dis..."

"Disappear?" Mayuzumi offered, and Kuroko nodded as more tears leaked from his eyes. But, Mayuzumi only wiped them away as tenderly as he could.

"Yeah, what if no one sees me again?"

"I promise you that one day, you'll learn to control it." Mayuzumi said confidently, and Kuroko blinked and looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Promise?" Kuroko whispered as he held up his hand with his pinkie extended. Mayuzumi smiled.

"Promise." He said as he linked their pinkies together and lightly bumped his forehead against Kuroko's. "Now come on, the sun will be setting! Let's watch it from the beach."

Mayuzumi said as he stood up, and he held Kuroko's hand tightly as they ran to the beach. They sat down on the stonewall, which separated the sand from the street, and watched as the sun descended, changing the sky in an array of different colors.

Kuroko leaned against Mayuzumi as he watched with wide eyes, feeling completely content, his earlier worries melting away with the disappearing sun.

"How did you find me?" Kuroko whispered as they began walking home, hand in hand, and Mayuzumi have him an amused look as if the answer was obvious.

"I'll always find you. We're connected because we're twins." Mayuzumi said as he bumped his body into Kuroko's playfully, and the slightly smaller of the two growled playfully as he bumped back into Mayuzumi who barely budged.

* * *

><p>Kuroko laughed happily as he ran around his mother's legs as she walked to her favorite rocking chair, far too used to Kuroko to trip over him. Mayuzumi on the other hand watched them with amusement. Tetsuna smiled brightly as she settled into her chair. She scooped them both up into her lap before she began to rock and sing to them.<p>

A knock on the door interrupted her, and she set the boys down before going to it, checking the peephole first. The twins knew something was wrong when she paled and ran to them, picking them up and carrying them across the room.

"Mama?" Kuroko whispered but was hushed as she stuck them in the closet.

"I need you two to stay here. No matter what you hear, you are to stay in here and not come out. I love you two so much." She kissed them both on the heads before she slid the door closed, not realizing it didn't fully shut, allowing a small crack for them to peer out of.

Their front door was kicked open, and Haizaki waltzed in with two men by his side. The grin on his face made Kuroko's stomach turn.

"Tetsuna, I've found you!" Haizaki said as he spread his arms out, as if expecting her to hug him. Tetsuna raised her head proudly, her jaw set in determination and her eyes cold.

"Please leave Haizaki. It's been five years, please, let me have peace." She asked, and Haizaki laughed.

"Darling, you are too good at what you do for me to just let you go." Haizaki said. "I know you have a child, I'll let you keep him."

"I won't go back with you, so leave my children alone!" Tetsuna shouted angrily, and Haizaki raised an eyebrow.

"Children? I thought you only had one. Unless, you got pregnant again..." Tetsuna clenched her fists hard enough for blood to leak.

"I'll pay you back the money I stole. I'm sorry for doing so in the first place." She said, lowering her proud head, and Haizaki barked with laughter.

"Not so simple, sweet cakes. You will come back with me." Haizaki said as he grabbed her arm. She shook him off and slapped him. "Now, that wasn't very nice."

"I would rather die than go back to you." She snarled and Haizaki took something out of his pocket, Kuroko's mother blocking the twin's view of what it was.

"Are you sure about that?" Haizaki asked, and they heard their mother take a deep breath.

"Yes."

There was a loud bang, and Kuroko screamed when their mother fell backwards, a hole in the middle of her forehead, her dead eyes staring at the ceiling. Mayuzumi covered his mouth, but it was too late, Haizaki had heard him.

The man marched to the closet and yanked it open, blinking in surprise at the two twins who stared up at him in fear.

"What do we have here?" Haizaki asked as he kneeled down to peer at them, and Kuroko's ability activated as his fear spiked, and Haizaki blinked in surprise.

He reached over to where Kuroko had disappeared, his hand clenching onto his shirt, so the boy couldn't get away. Mayuzumi broke out of his frozen stupor and lunged at Haizaki's arm. "Let go of my brother!"

Haizaki pushed Mayuzumi away roughly and stood up, lifted Kuroko in the air by the shirt. "Tell me kid, can you do the same thing as this brat?"

"No, he can't." Kuroko said desperately as he reappeared. "Leave him alone! He can't do it, just me."

"Well, looks like you get to live brat." Haizaki said as he began to walk away, but Mayuzumi dashed forward and hugged his leg even when Kuroko yelled at him to stay away.

"Take me with you." Mayuzumi demanded, and Haizaki sneered.

"I'm letting you live brat, but don't push me or you'll be going with your mother." Mayuzumi gritted his teeth, and his steely eyes hardened in sheer determination.

"If you only take him, he'll spend the rest of his life trying to get back to me. If you take me, then he won't leave you without me." Haizaki paused as he mulled Mayuzumi's words in his head.

"Heh, fine brat, I don't mind another dog." Haizaki said, and Mayuzumi followed him out the house even with Kuroko's pleas for him to run away.

They both received a collar later on. Kuroko's was black, and for some reason, it was harder for him to use his ability with it on, which was a bit of a blessing since it allowed him some control. Mayuzumi also received a collar, only his was white.

Kuroko began to be trained to fight. Haizaki had tried to train Mayuzumi, but without the ability to disappear, Mayuzumi was deemed useless and was eventually just left in the cage while Kuroko was taken out, doing light exercises and stretches to make sure his muscles didn't deteriorate. Whenever his twin returned, he was always covered in bruises and cuts, and would curl up in pain on Mayuzumi's lap.

Eventually, Kuroko's muscles began to develop, and he got stronger as he was taught how to fight. Kuroko never told Mayuzumi the details of his training. He wanted to spare his twin that pain, but nothing could hide how much it affected him.

Then, one day, things escalated.

Mayuzumi raised his head when he heard the room door open, and his eyes widened when Haizaki walked in with a blood covered Kuroko who obediently walked to the cage and waited for Haizaki to open it.

"Tetsuya!" Mayuzumi said frantically as he inspected Kuroko's body once Haizaki let him inside, but he didn't find any wounds. He looked into Kuroko's eyes, and his own widened when he saw no emotion in those blue eyes. "Tetsuya, what happened? Answer me!"

"I killed someone today." Kuroko whispered as he collapsed onto the ground, too quickly for his twin to catch him. "My hands are all red."

Mayuzumi took his sleeves and wiped Kuroko's hands the best he could, wetting the cloth with his saliva to get at the dried parts. Kuroko just watched him numbly without saying a word, his eyes blank, but his body trembled revealing just how shaken he was.

"We'll get through this." Mayuzumi said, but Kuroko did not look convinced.

It wasn't the last time Kuroko came back with blood covering him, and each time he returned, a piece of him died. Mayuzumi saw Kuroko without his collar once, and it had been the first time in his entire life that he was actually scared of his twin.

The eyes that had been gradually dying had lit up with deadly intent as the air around him turned bloodthirsty. Everything about Kuroko changed, to his set jaw, fighting stance with tense muscles ready attack, and his eyes that stared like a predator looking for prey.

It was horrifying.

When the collar was snapped back on, his twin would be returned back to his almost original state, but the fear never fully left Mayuzumi, even when he welcomed Kuroko back with open arms. The fear festered every time Kuroko came back covered in blood, and Mayuzumi hated himself for it. He refused to give up on Kuroko.

However, there came the time when Kuroko almost gave up on himself.

"Tetsuya, you have to eat." Mayuzumi coaxed as he pressed a piece of stale bread against Kuroko's mouth, but he didn't open his mouth. "Tetsuya."

"I killed a man today." Kuroko said as he pushed away the hand. "I killed a man today, and I felt nothing. I felt no guilt or regret."

Mayuzumi closed his eyes and forced his face to be emotionless. He felt revulsion run through him as he watched his brother turning into this...monster, but he fought it with everything he had. This was still his twin.

"You still have to eat." Mayuzumi insisted, and as he opened his eyes, Kuroko gave him a deadpanned look, but this time he accepted the bread pressed against his lips. "I will force you to live. You're not allowed to give up Tetsuya."

A part of Kuroko hated Mayuzumi at that moment. It would be so much easier to give up fighting, to just resign to his fate, but it wouldn't be fair to his twin, who was here because of him. So for now, he would continue fighting.

Instead, he began subconsciously locking away his emotions and memories because they hurt him more than anything Haizaki did. Emotions would bring back guilt and regret, the things he had to throw away in order to kill. Memories reminded him of better times, which made his heart hurt with longing. So against his will, he locked them up in order to survive.

Mayuzumi told him of the memories he forgot, but he never remembered them. They were just stories to him, stories that gave him hope that someday they would get out and experience those memories again.

Years went by, and every day, Mayuzumi got more and more scared of what Kuroko was becoming. Kuroko no longer showed any emotion, although there was still a little spark in his eyes. A spark that Mayuzumi was terrified of Kuroko losing.

He was becoming a killing machine that obeyed Haizaki's every order. It was vital more than ever that they need to escape before the Kuroko he knew was completely gone. Mayuzumi bided his time, paying more attention to the hallways when he was let out during bathroom breaks, waiting for an opportunity to escape.

The chance came when Haizaki didn't lock the door after throwing Kuroko into the cage. Haizaki was angry about something, and Kuroko was covered in blood once again. Mayuzumi waited for Haizaki to leave the room before testing the cage to make sure, a triumphant smile on his face before he closed the door.

"Tonight, we're going to escape." Mayuzumi whispered to Kuroko who stayed, lying down on the cage floor. "Tetsuya?"

Mayuzumi shook Kuroko sat up, wavering slightly, and his twin frowned as he looked Kuroko over, his eyes widening when he found a cut.

"Why didn't you say something?" He hissed as he applied pressure on the wound. His twin didn't even wince at the pain.

"Haizaki doesn't want me to show weakness." Kuroko replied monotonously, and Mayuzumi sighed. It wasn't a life threatening wound, but it was still serious. Mayuzumi ripped up a large piece of his clothing and wrapped it around the wound.

"We're escaping tonight. Do you understand?" Mayuzumi asked, and Kuroko nodded, but his eyes held no anticipation or hope, as if it was another story his twin was telling. "I mean it Tetsuya, we're getting out."

"Yes, Chihiro." Kuroko said, but his tone suggested he was humoring his twin rather than agreeing.

"Rest for now." Mayuzumi ordered as he pushed Kuroko down, so he was lying with his head resting on his twin's lap. Kuroko closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep while Mayuzumi closed his eyes and dozed off.

He waited until he was sure it was nighttime, at least, judging by the lack of light from the single small rectangular window in the room, but Mayuzumi kept waiting until he was sure it was near midnight. He slowly shook Kuroko awake and left the cage, creeping across the room and pressing his ear against the thick door.

He didn't hear any noises, and he softly ushered Kuroko to his side, the small boy stumbling slightly, and his eyes a bit hazy, probably due to a bit of blood loss from earlier. The wound had bled through the makeshift bandages, but it seemed to have stopped for now.

Mayuzumi gave him a look of concern before he pushed open the door quietly, scanning the hall for any signs of people before grabbing Kuroko's wrist and pulled him along the hall, towards where he memorized the front door to be.

They met no one along the way, which was a blessing since Mayuzumi wasn't sure how they would be able to take them down. Then, he saw the front door, and he quickened his pace as it got nearer and nearer. Just a few steps more...

A hand suddenly grabbed Kuroko's shoulder, yanking them both to a stop. Mayuzumi spun around, eyes widening in horror when he saw Haizaki.

"Well, well what do we have here?" Haizaki said with a grin as Mayuzumi let go of Kuroko's wrist and took a step back out of fear. "Looks like a couple of disobedient dogs tried to escape."

"Haizaki..." Mayuzumi whispered and looked at Kuroko who still looked emotionless, not even looking concerned or surprised, just hazy as his wound reopened from all the movement.

"I wonder how I shall punish you. You are, after all, a freeloading dog. You don't earn your place." Haizaki said mockingly as he grabbed Kuroko's hand and put something in it. "I think I have a worthy punishment."

He grabbed Kuroko's arm roughly and forced it up, so the item Kuroko held was pointed at Mayuzumi, whose eyes widened when he saw what it was: a gun. No...Surely his brother wouldn't...

"Tetsuya..." Mayuzumi whispered leadingly. The collar around Kuroko's neck was snapped off, and the boy's eyes widened in horror when he realized what he was doing.

"Kill." Was the whispered command, and after years of obedience being beaten into him, being trained to kill when the collar was taken off tripled with the effects of blood loss making his mind hazy, his finger curled around the trigger and pulled.

Kuroko screamed at the same time as the bullet shot out of the gun and hit Mayuzumi, sending the boy flying and landing on his back. Kuroko dropped the gun and ran to his twin who was coughing and writhing in pain.

"Chihiro..." Kuroko tried to staunch the blood pouring out of the gaping hole in his brother's chest, but all that accomplished was covering his hands in his twin's blood. "I'm sorry!"

Mayuzumi was in too much pain to answer, but his eyes held so much betrayal and rage as he stared at Kuroko whose eyes began to water and tears dripped down his face. He began to chant apologies and screamed when Mayuzumi closed his eyes.

"No, please...No...I'm sorry...Please don't leave me...please." Kuroko said brokenly as he watched as his last strand of sanity die because of him.

Rough hands suddenly grabbed him, and Kuroko didn't have the strength to fight as they dragged him away. All he could do was stare at his brother's body until it disappeared as he was pulled around a corner.

Haizaki dragging him back into the room, and he was thrown into the cage. Kuroko stared at his blood covered hands, his twin's blood, and finally the small spark in his eyes completely disappeared. Haizaki had accomplished his goal; he had completely broken Kuroko.

* * *

><p>"I thought he was dead. I didn't see him ever again after he had been shot...No...After,<em> I<em> shot him." Kuroko said, his voice wavering as he fought to keep it blank even while being assaulted by so many emotions. "But... then, I saw a lock of his hair that day when we bust the human trafficking ring. I wasn't completely sure at the time though.

Then, this collar was in front of your house, and I knew he was alive, but I...I was a coward, so I locked the memories of him back up. I didn't know how to cope with them. Then, Ogiwara-kun said his name, that he had set it up for you to be killed, and...Then, you asked me to kill Ogiwara...I couldn't keep the memories locked up anymore.

I don't know what to do Akashi. He wants you to die as revenge or he wants me dead instead. Tell me what to do Akashi. What should I do? Should I just die to appease him? Please, tell me Akashi, what should I do?"

The redhead cautiously walked across the room, his bare feet lightly sweeping the floor until he hit Kuroko who minutely flinched at the contact. Akashi sat down and pulled Kuroko into his lap, wrapping his arms around him unrelentingly, while Kuroko struggled, not wanting to be comforted.

Akashi refused to let go, and Kuroko didn't use his full strength to fight since he didn't want to harm the redhead. Finally, Kuroko just gave in, and he allowed Akashi to cradle him as he leaned his head against Akashi's chest, hearing his heart beat quickly.

"I'm not your brother, so I can't place or take the blame from you, but I don't believe it was truly your fault." Akashi murmured, and Kuroko flinched as he closed his eyes, curling up and hugging himself.

"How can you say that?" Kuroko whispered, and Akashi tightened his hold on Kuroko, trying to completely envelope him with his larger body.

"Shougo trained you to do what he wanted, and being so little at the time, you couldn't help but listen to him. In the end, it was his fault not yours." Akashi said, but Kuroko shook his head.

"I still shot him." Kuroko said with self-loathing, and Akashi stifled a sigh. He was never good at comforting people, and he knew this was an important moment between them, a moment that could completely break Kuroko.

"Tetsuya, it was Shougo who trained you to obey his every word, who had beaten you to obedience, who handed you the gun. You were a mere tool back then, and Shougo may as well have shot your brother himself. I do not believe that it was your fault."

"What about now? Am I still a tool?" Kuroko whispered, and Akashi almost chuckled.

"You stopped being a tool long ago, I never intended for you to be one, and you know that. If you were, then you would have shot Shigehiro, but you didn't, and I will never make you do something like that if you don't want to." Akashi said softly, and Kuroko opened his eyes and breathed out.

"If I'm not a tool for you, then what am I?" Kuroko asked, and Akashi paused. It was a fair question, but it was one that wasn't easily answered. He had bought Kuroko because he was fascinated by him, but that fascination turned into something much much deeper.

It wasn't love, he was unsure if either of them was even capable of love, but it was something akin to it. He knew that he wanted to keep Kuroko by his side, and he wanted to be the only one Kuroko wanted to be with. He felt possessiveness, lust, concern, and fondness when it came to the boy. He certainly wanted him to be happy and was willing to do almost anything to make it happen.

"I'm not sure." Akashi finally relied honestly. "But you're not a tool, not to me. Like I said when we first talked, I want you to be my companion, and that hasn't changed."

Kuroko didn't reply for a while, but he did nuzzle his head against Akashi and held onto one of the redhead's arms and hugged it tightly.

"What do I do? He's not going to stop going after us." Kuroko asked softly.

"We'll take it as it comes until he reveals himself. There is nothing else we can do. When the time comes, then we'll act accordingly." Akashi said resolutely, and Kuroko sighed.

"What if he tries to kill you again?" He asked worriedly, and Akashi scoffed scornfully.

"The only reason today happened was because I made the mistake of trusting Shigehiro due to the truce between Meiko and Teiko; that won't happen again. I'll up security and be more aware of the people around me. Also, you'll be around me at all times, so no one can get near enough to hurt me."

"Yes, Akashi." Kuroko said as he closed his eyes again, this time in exhaustion from the emotional turmoil of the day. Akashi's warm skin that was pressed against him was beginning to lull him to sleep. The redhead gently picked up Kuroko and carried him to the futon.

They laid down with Kuroko wrapping himself around Akashi who embraced him tightly. Akashi waited until Kuroko's breathing evened out before pressing his lips against Kuroko's head and allowing himself to fall asleep.


	18. Chapter 18

Wonderfully beta'd by AokazuSei

* * *

><p>"Ogiwara Shigehiro has returned to Hokkaido, and the letter to inform the current head of Meiko of the annulled truce has been sent." Midorima reported in a hushed tone, a small china doll in hand and a copy of a letter in the other, which Akashi accepted to read over.<p>

Kuroko was lying beside him with his head resting on Akashi's thigh, sound asleep, not even Midorima's presence was about to rouse him awake. After the events from yesterday, Kuroko was fatigued more than usual, so Akashi had managed to coax him into taking a nap with the promise of tighter security around the house with Aomine and Kise making rounds every hour.

Even then, Kuroko had been reluctant, but the residue exhaustion from yesterday kept him from arguing, and in mere moments, he had fallen asleep, while Akashi went back to doing the paperwork that he had been prevented from doing before.

"Inform me if there's any reply, although I doubt that they will send one." Akashi said, and Midorima nodded. "Is the household back in order?"

"Yes, the entire household has been compensated and are back on schedule. I have taken the liberty of paying the hospital bill of those who had been injured, and the damages done to the floorboards and tatami mats will be replaced and fixed today. Nijimura has taken the liberty to punish the guards for being so easily being taken down, and Murasakibara has baked everyone a cake."

"Very good. Thank you for your services, and I shall extend my thanks to Shuzo, and Atsushi when I see them." Akashi said with a pleased expression, and Midorima nodded before excusing himself from the room.

Akashi leaned back slightly and ran his hands through Kuroko's soft hair. The boy snuffled slightly but otherwise had no reaction. They had gone about their morning the same way as usual, except, somehow, things seemed different with Kuroko, although nobody but Akashi seemed to notice.

His eyes seemed less guarded, although more weary. Akashi supposed that the burden of carrying such a heavy past lessened once Kuroko finally revealed his past. It was possible that by revealing his past, he was forced to accept it despite locking it away for so long. Akashi sighed as he looked at the ceiling thoughtfully.

Kuroko's folder that Midorima had given him had said nothing about Kuroko having a twin brother, although that could have been because Mayuzumi had kept his father's surname. Though, that didn't settle well with Akashi, who liked to know everything.

He would need to ask Momoi to look him up the he next saw her. Perhaps, Akashi could track him down, and then make plans from there. If push came to shove, if Mayuzumi truly was trying to kill him or Kuroko, then Akashi would need to kill him first, Kuroko's twin be damned. Kuroko's safety came first.

"Mmn...Akashi?" Kuroko mumbled as he awoke and sat up, rubbing his eyes with his fist and looking around in a daze, as if he forgot where he was. The bags under his eyes were thankfully less prominent due to sleep, but they still stood out on his pale skin.

"Did you sleep well Tetsuya?" Akashi murmured. Kuroko nodded before he leaned against the redhead, who wrapped an arm around him to bring him closer.

"I had a dream about Mama." Kuroko mumbled, clearly still half asleep which had Akashi smiling at him fondly.

"What happened?" Akashi asked indulgingly.

"Mmm, nothing really, just that I was at the beach that was near our last home, and we were both just standing there watching the water. I think she tried to say something to me, but I couldn't hear her." Kuroko said, the sleepy haze in his eyes dissipating.

"Would you like to see the beach again?" Akashi asked, and Kuroko looked at him in shock, his eyes widening as a spark of excitement appeared in his cerulean eyes as if Akashi had just offered him the world.

"Can we really?" Kuroko asked almost childishly, and Akashi nodded as he stood up and held out a hand to help Kuroko up.

"I will ask Kise and Aomine to accompany us, and you can bring Nigou." Akashi said, and Kuroko let a small smile form on his face. "Ah, I have a spare pair of swimming trunks as well. Can you swim?"

"Ah...I don't remember how to." Kuroko said uncertainly, and Akashi nodded in understanding.

"I will teach you then. For now, go get Nigou while I fetch everything."

* * *

><p>Excitement was in the air as the limo drove toward the beach. Kise and Aomine were grinning almost madly; after all, it had been a while since they had been able to pay a visit to the beach. Akashi fondly watched Kuroko who was staring out the window, waiting until the beach came into view, his small hands pressed against the glass. Nigou, who was still too small to see through the window, nuzzled against the bluenette as he sat on his lap.<p>

"We should build a huge sand castle!" Kise said excitedly, causing Aomine to laugh.

"Fuck no, beach volleyball!" Aomine refuted, and Kise rolled his eyes.

"Are balls the only thing you find fun?"

There was a pause as everyone in the car looked at Kise, even the driver looked at him through the rear-view mirror, before both Kise and Aomine burst out laughing. Akashi rolled his eyes, while Kuroko looked slightly confused at the duo before looking back out through the window with an excited expression.

Kuroko gasped and perked up, almost jostling Nigou out of his lap, when he saw the ocean over the horizon. Akashi swore that if Kuroko had a tail, it would be wagging.

Kuroko watched the scenery with poorly concealed excitement as the ocean came into full view. It was large and vast, and as the limo traveled closer, he was soon able to make out the golden sand.

A few minutes later, they finally arrived at the beach and left the parked limo. Aomine and Kise carried beach towels, umbrellas, and a volleyball.

Since it was technically a workday, the beach wasn't as crowded as it usually was so finding an empty spot was easy. Kise set up the umbrellas while Aomine laid out the towels, trying not to trip over Nigou who was running around their feet.

Kuroko sank his toes in the warm sand under his feet and took a deep breath, the salty air filling his lungs, as he stared at the ocean waves overlapping the shore in a gentle rhythmic sound. If he concentrated enough, he could see his mother and twin brother running about with smiles on their faces, laughing happily as the water hit their feet.

"Tetsuya?" Kuroko turned and gave Akashi a small reassuring smile, his blue eyes sparkling ever so slightly.

"Yosh!" Kise said as he wiped his brow. "Time to strip!"

Aomine and Kise took off their Teiko uniforms, revealing their swimming trunks that they had been wearing under their clothes. Akashi did so as well but with an eye roll, and Kuroko paused before doing the same with some reluctance.

Aomine and Kise looked over the scars covering his small body. Their stares caused Kuroko to be very uncomfortable, causing him to edge toward Akashi who gave the two warning looks. Understanding the message quite clearly, they distracted themselves by energetically conversing on what to do. This soon turned into an argument, Akashi rolling his eyes in exasperation.

"Let's go Tetsuya." Akashi muttered as he grabbed Kuroko's hand and began pulling him to the ocean. Kuroko gasped as they stepped into the cold yet refreshing water. Akashi gently took Kuroko's hands into each of his own and began walking backwards into the water, leading Kuroko forward.

Kuroko felt anxiety build up as the water got higher and higher. He had only been a small child the last time he had been at the beach, and even then, he didn't even remember actually swimming. The only thing he remembered wading in was the shallow water.

But, Kuroko trusted Akashi, and as Akashi held his hands in a firm comforting grip, Kuroko followed, going farther and farther out. It was getting harder to walk, and by the time the water reached his upper torso, Kuroko was half swimming, half walking.

Suddenly, Akashi kicked the ground beneath him, propelling himself and Kuroko by extension. They went farther into the ocean towards a deeper part, where Kuroko couldn't easily touch the sand without the water going over his nose.

"Ah..." Kuroko said as he started to panic, but Akashi squeezed his hands tightly allowing Kuroko to calm down and take a long breath. After a short while, he began to mimic Akashi by kicking his legs back and forth to keep himself afloat.

"There we go." Akashi encouraged, and Kuroko gave him a small smile as he swam closer, their legs almost kicking each other. Akashi let go of Kuroko's hands but had to immediately grab them again when the strong waves threatened to push Kuroko under water, his legs unused to swimming was therefore too weak to keep him up.

So they remained like that, with Akashi leading Kuroko around until he got used to swimming. Joy lit up in Kuroko's sky blue eyes as the redhead smiling at him fondly. Eventually, Kuroko's low stamina kicked in, and Akashi led him back to shore to rest a little.

Aomine was currently on a towel taking a nap, snoring loudly, with drool escaping his mouth, while Kise was in the midst of making a sandcastle. Nigou barked around the shore, running around Kuroko's feet while he stepped out of the ocean. Kuroko walked over to Kise and watched with fascination as the blonde explained how to construct the wet sand into shapes.

Akashi watched as the two began to construct a poorly made castle like little children as he idly ran a hand through Nigou's fur, grimacing when some of it stuck on his hands. Another reason to hate dogs.

"Go to Tetsuya." Akashi ordered the dog when he whined for more. Nigou barked before trotting to the bluenette who immediately began petting him, unperturbed by the fur sticking into his hands, and merely dipped his hands into the ocean to wash it off.

'That mutt is going to get wet fur all over the limo seats.' Akashi thought with a small frown before he grimaced. 'Not to mention the smell of wet dog we're going to be stuck with...Perhaps bringing him wasn't the best of ideas...'

Still, Akashi couldn't bring himself to fully regret it when he saw Kuroko's small smile as Nigou accidently destroyed a part of the castle which had Kise wailing, consequently waking up Aomine, who walked over and bonked the blonde on the head.

"So mean!" Kise cried with crocodile tears. Aomine rolled his eyes before looking at the remnants of their castle.

"That's what you call a castle?" Aomine scoffed, and Kise pouted.

"I'd like to see you do better!" Kise challenged, and Aomine's eyes glinted.

"Let's all make a castle to see who can make the best one!" Aomine suggested, and Kise nodded excitedly.

"Akashicchi will you make one too?" Kise asked, and Akashi was about to decline because, honestly, the entire thing was childish, but when he saw Kuroko pleading him to join with his eyes, ones that Akashi could only describe as puppy dog eyes, he couldn't object.

"Sure." Akashi acquiesced, although making sure to sound reluctant, as he walked over to them. The next hour consisted of them molding the wet sand with Nigou running around, barking enthusiastically as if to encourage them.

"Alright! Let's see what everyone has." Aomine announced, and everyone stepped back to examine each other's work.

Kise's castle was mostly a huge mound of sand covered in shells and pretty rocks. Holes were dug in to resemble windows. Aomine's wasn't much different from Kise's, though he had attempted to make a moat.

Kuroko's resembled a castle, although a large part of it was destroyed thanks to Nigou's excitement, but the boy didn't look at all annoyed or disappointed; instead, he petted the wet dog indulgingly.

Akashi's castle was, of course, the best out of the bunch. With strong precise walls, a working moat with a bunch of shells acting as a bridge, perfectly dug out rectangular windows, and crushed bits of shell covering the entirety of the castle, it practically glowed under the sun.

Everyone came closer to examine it, Kuroko grabbing and holding Nigou before the dog could destroy it, while Akashi smirked in amusement. Aomine and Kise got into another fight about which of their castles was better, which escalated into a full on water fight as they tried to spray each other with as much water as they could.

Aomine grappled Kise, and they both fell under water wrestling, while Kuroko watched with traces of concern. Akashi tried fighting the urge to roll his eyes, an urge that he noticed only came along when he was with his bodyguards. He questioned his judgement at times too as he examined the two childish adults.

"Come on Kurokocchi!" Kise said as he grabbed Kuroko and pulled him into the water, though he made sure to stay near the shallow area since Akashi had informed them that Kuroko couldn't swim very much.

They splashed each other playfully, Akashi even joining in when Aomine had splashed him in the face by accident. At one point, Kise got over excited and jumped on Kuroko, causing them both to fall into the water. Kuroko almost panicked as he was sent underwater, unable to get back up due to Kise being on top of him. Luckily, Aomine soon grabbed Kise and threw him off while Akashi helped Kuroko back up, patting his back to help Kuroko cough up the seawater.

"Ah! I'm sorry Kurokocchi!" Kise wailed as he hugged the boy tightly, which really didn't help with the whole breathing process. Kuroko let Kise hug him for a while before he splashed Kise with a sweep of his arm, resuming the water fight.

After some time, they finally dragged themselves out of the water, panting heavily with smiles on their faces. Kuroko shivered as a cold wind blew past them, and Akashi looked up at the sky, noting the sun was beginning to set.

"Let's go put our clothes back on." Akashi suggested, and Kuroko nodded as everyone began drying themselves with towels before pulling on their clothes. They, then, sat down on the sand and watched the sunset, Kuroko leaning against Akashi.

As he watched the sun set, changing the sky's colors which reflected off the water, Kuroko remembered his twin, and how they would watch the sunset together, except, now, he had more memories of the sun setting with Akashi and Kise and Aomine.

Kuroko smiled to himself softly as he curled up against Akashi for warmth, feeling more content than ever. Akashi lifted Kuroko and settled the boy between his legs. He wrapped his arms around Kuroko and resting his head on top of the smaller boy's head. Kuroko lightly touched the arms around him, his smile growing just a tiny bit more.

Eventually, the sun melted into the horizon, and Kise and Aomine packed up before the group made their way back to the limo.

Along the way, Kuroko paused when he saw a pretty red seashell, and without much thought, he pocketed it, keeping it as a memento.

They all got in the limo with Nigou lying on a towel on the ground, so he wouldn't get wet fur everywhere. Then, the limo drove them home.

Akashi was checking his phone for any messages, which was plentiful, when he felt a weight press against him. He softly smiled when he saw Kuroko fast asleep. Slowly, he brought Kuroko's body down, so he lied on the seat with his head on Akashi's lap, a hand running through his blue locks while he continued to check his messages.

"He was really happy today." Kise said happily in a hushed tone, and Akashi nodded slightly as he noticed that even in his sleep, Kuroko was slightly smiling.

"Well, it was a good day. We should do it again." Aomine said as he spun the volleyball on the tip of his finger. "We didn't have time to play volleyball."

"I agree!" Kise chirped, covering his mouth when Kuroko made a noise in his sleep. Akashi glared at him warningly, promising death with his mismatched eyes. Luckily for Kise, Kuroko settled back into a deep sleep, and the blonde let out a relieved breath as Aomine snickered beside him.

It was getting a little late by the time they arrived home, Aomine carrying Kuroko in his arms to Akashi bedroom before the bodyguards retired for the night. Akashi was about to strip and turn in as well, deciding to shower the next morning since he was too tired to do so now, when there was a knock on his door.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you." Midorima said when Akashi slid open the door. The green haired man gave Akashi a fancy heavy envelope. "It's an invitation to a charity ball. A lot of important people will be there, so I advice you make an appearance. It's in another gang's territory, in the Kansai region, so I've already taken the liberty to ask permission for your presence and he accepted."

"Thank you Shintaro. Have a good night." Akashi said, and Midorima bowed before leaving. The redhead placed the envelope on a nightstand before taking off his clothes and slipping into the futon, Kuroko immediately latching onto him unconsciously seeking warmth.

Akashi yawned, kissed Kuroko's cheek, and wrapped his arms around him protectively before falling asleep himself.


	19. Chapter 19

Wonderfully beta'd by AokazuSei

* * *

><p>"I wish for you to escort me to a charity ball that will be held in a few days." Akashi announced the next morning, making Kuroko pause and look at the redhead with a tilted head slightly confused.<p>

"I don't understand." Kuroko replied as he resumed eating, noticing a lot of the food consisted of the things he had mentioned he liked in the past.

"It's a huge lavish party where important corporates gather together and talk about things nobody really cares about while trying to throw their wealth in your face." Akashi drawled, and Kuroko looked at him curiously, wondering why anyone would attend such a thing. "I want you to go as my escort."

"Ah..." Kuroko looked at Akashi with surprise, but the redhead just smirked. It was a good opportunity to flaunt Kuroko in front of other people. Male escorts for other men were no longer uncommon, and even if someone opposed it, Akashi was too powerful for anyone to do anything about it. "If...that's what Akashi wishes."

"You don't have to do much, but if you feel uncomfortable, then we can leave. Just as long as I make an appearance, it's enough." Akashi reassured, and Kuroko nodded, although he looked at Akashi warily. Was this what it meant, to be a companion?

"Will Aomine-kun and Kise-kun be there?" Kuroko asked.

"No, the building will be well guarded, so having my bodyguards will only send a bad message." Akashi explained, and although Kuroko didn't understand -how was it possible to be too safe especially when it came to Akashi? -he just nodded. "I must also explain that it is not well known to other people that I am Teiko's leader, mostly, only other gangs know."

"I understand." Kuroko said and Akashi nodded.

"I also have something I wish to give you." Akashi said, and Kuroko tilted his head again in a quizzical manner. It was turning out to be a confusing morning for him.

They finished the meal quickly, Akashi in slight anticipation while Kuroko in trepidation and curiosity, before Akashi pulled Kuroko out of the room and into his bedroom. Kuroko stood in the middle of the room awkwardly while Akashi rummaged through his closet before he pulled out a small box and walked behind Kuroko eagerly.

Kuroko stayed still even when he felt something wide and soft being wrapped around his neck. Although his breathing did quicken unnoticeably, as it reminded him faintly of his black collar, he reasoned that Akashi would never put something like that on him.

"This is not a collar, and you may take it off whenever you wish; however, I prefer you not to." Akashi murmured reassuringly as he passed Kuroko a mirror. Kuroko aimed the mirror at his neck and saw that Akashi had given him a dark blue choker thick enough so that it covered his scar.

"Akashi..." Kuroko whispered as he ran his hand around the soft fabric.

"I'm tired of being accused of abusing you, plus, it suits you. However, if it isn't to your liking, you may take it off." Akashi said as he set down the box. "As I said, it is not a collar."

"I like it." Kuroko whispered, feeling a little touched as the scar that used to mark him as Haizaki's was now covered by something Akashi had given him. He couldn't get rid of his scars, but it felt better to cover them with belongings that marked him as Akashi's. "Thank you."

Akashi smiled slightly as he pressed his lips on the back of the choker and then against the Teiko mark before backing away. To his surprise, Kuroko turned around and kissed him on the lips, but Akashi quickly recovered and wrapped his arms firmly around the smaller boy, bringing him closer and deepening the kiss.

Akashi's hands were wandering under Kuroko's shirt when a cough interrupted them, abruptly reminding Akashi that he had forgotten to close his door. Midorima was watching them with a flustered look while he held a blown up green balloon with one hand and a sheet of paper in the other.

"Shintaro, what brings you here?" Akashi asked after he broke the kiss, not looking the least bit embarrassed while Kuroko flushed and hid slightly behind Akashi.

"Here's the new menu for the week Murasakibara has made up. He wanted you to overview it." Midorima explained, and Akashi nodded and took the piece of paper while Midorima quickly dismissed himself.

Kuroko curiously looked over Akashi's shoulder at the piece of paper, but it didn't make sense to him, so he just looked at Akashi with a quizzical look.

"Atsushi writes the meal plans for the week and sends me the list, so I can approve of it." Akashi explained, and Kuroko nodded in understanding. "Why don't you run up and tell him I approve of everything; it will give you a chance to meet him. I know that he has been wanting to meet you, but an opportunity hadn't presented itself until now."

"Yes, Akashi." Kuroko said before he left the room, already knowing where the kitchen was. He was a little nervous about meeting someone new without Akashi by his side, but he was very curious about the man who made all the delicious food.

He made sure to not use his ability; it would be very troublesome if people ran into him. As he entered the bustling steamy kitchen, one chef nearly ran into him, and Kuroko winced as he was yelled at to get out of the way.

Finally, he saw the tall purple haired man who towered over everyone, giving everyone orders, and taste testing. He quickly walked over to him, now wanting nothing more but to get out of the crowded kitchen.

"Ah...Hello?" Kuroko said nervously as he touched his choker and rocked on his feet. At first, the tall chef didn't notice him until Kuroko gently touched his arm to garner his attention.

"Hmmm? Who are you?" Murasakibara asked as he leaned down to examine Kuroko, who stepped back a little.

"I'm Kuroko, nice to meet you." Kuroko said, and Murasakibara looked faintly surprised.

"So, you're Kurochin?" Murasakibara asked, and Kuroko frowned slightly before realizing it was a nickname, just like how Kise said cchi.

"Yes." He replied. "Akashi wanted me to let you know he approves of the menu."

"Good~" Murasakibara said happily, and Kuroko was about to leave when a large hand pressed against his back and pushed him to a bubbling pot. Murasakibara ladled some of the soup inside the pot into a small bowl, which he blew on, and handed to Kuroko who blinked as he accepted it. "Give that a try~"

Kuroko sipped it under Murasakibara's watchful gaze. The soup was mild but had after tones of sweetness that tasted very nice. He licked his lips as he handed the bowl to Murasakibara.

"It's good." Kuroko said, and Murasakibara nodded approvingly before he shuffled Kuroko over to more pots and pans, having him try bits of food, asking for his opinion. When Kuroko had tried them all and had given his opinion, he was then pushed to the baking area where desserts were being made; Murasakibara cajoled him into trying those as well.

"It's all very good." Kuroko said with his hand on his stomach, which was well on its way of becoming full. Murasakibara looked pleased as he ruffled Kuroko's hair, the boy flinching at first but allowing the touch for a minute before moving away.

Murasakibara motioned for him to stay before he moved around the kitchen, collecting a bowl of soup and a glass of white thick liquid, before he handed to Kuroko on a tray.

"Some tofu soup for Akachin, and a vanilla milkshake for you~" Murasakibara said happily, a smile growing on his face when Kuroko's eyes lit up.

"Thank you." Kuroko said with a small bow of his head before he began leaving the kitchen, weaving through the busy chefs, careful not to spill any of the soup. He took a breath of relief when he reached the stairs before he carefully walked down and made his way to Akashi's study, where he met the dilemma of being unable to knock since his hands were carefully balancing the tray.

He gently kicked the door with his foot and managed to wiggle his toe in between the door and the wall, allowing himself to slide the door open with his foot when Akashi invited him in.

"You needn't knock anymore, Tetsuya." Akashi said distractedly before looking up when Kuroko placed the tray in front of him. "What's this?"

"Murasakibara-kun made you tofu soup and made me a vanilla milkshake." Kuroko explained as he took the cup and began to sip it happily as Akashi took the bowl and began to dig in.

"Ah, I did happen to mention to him that you love vanilla milkshakes. I had to convince him not to make it every day for you." Akashi said with amusement, his teasing smile growing when Kuroko pouted ever so slightly. "Say Tetsuya, there will be dancing at the ball, do you know how to?"

Kuroko predictably shook his head, and Akashi's eyes acquired a sly gleam as he finished his soup. Kuroko finished the last of his milkshake, and the minute he set the empty glass onto the tray, Akashi caught his hand and pulled him to his feet, his other hand lightly pressing against the small of Kuroko's back.

"Put your hand on my shoulder." Kuroko obediently did as he was told, and Akashi began to move, guiding Kuroko to move with him and murmuring instructions as to where to place his feet. Of course, Kuroko messed up a lot but was light enough that when he did step on Akashi's feet, which he did frequently, it didn't hurt in the least.

Kuroko gasped when Akashi suddenly dipped him, placed a small kiss on his lips, before lifting him back up with a teasing smile.

"Akashi is very good." Kuroko said, and Akashi smirked as he twirled Kuroko.

"I've been trained my entire life for situations like this, so this is nothing new to me." Akashi murmured as he guided Kuroko around the room as the boy fought to keep up but often stumbling. It was a little humorous to see the normally graceful boy stumbling on his own feet. Akashi didn't both hiding his amused smirk which had Kuroko pouting.

"What else do I need to know?" Kuroko asked softly, not wanting to disgrace Akashi at the event.

"Nothing much really, proper table etiquette, and whatnot, but other than that, you don't need to know much. Just stay by my side." Kuroko nodded with a seriously look, and Akashi gave him a fond look. "Don't worry too much about it. I'll teach you everything you need to know."

At first, Kuroko was a bit excited to learn new things, but over the next few days, it became a little stressful. It didn't seem like a lot, learning how to dance, and how to tell the difference between the salad fork and the dinner fork, or the soup spoon from the dessert spoon, but it still came a little difficult for Kuroko, who still didn't understand why they needed different sets of utensils in the first place. It just seemed to be a huge unnecessary hassle.

Still, Akashi was a patient teacher who never even got exasperated with Kuroko. Soon enough, Kuroko memorized all the proper table etiquette, or at least enough to pass off at the party, and as long as Akashi was leading, was able to dance without tripping on his feet.

Soon, it was the day of the event, and Kuroko was nervous. Akashi was acting a little different, just a little colder, the air around him tenser. If Kuroko had to describe it, then he would have compared it to how Akashi was on the day of meeting with Seirin.

"You go take a shower, and then see Satsuki who'll dress you." Akashi murmured as he kissed Kuroko's forehead.

"Yes, Akashi." Kuroko replied anxiously before heading to the bathroom. His shower was a bit rushed since Kuroko was too tense to relax under the hot water as usual. He only stayed long enough to completely wash his hair and body.

When he left the bathroom, he was promptly kidnapped by Momoi, who had been waiting to ambush him, which saved him from the trouble of having to find her.

"I can't wait for you to try it on!" She said excitedly, her pink eyes glittering happily as she pulled him into a room. "Akashi special ordered this for you. It costs more than I make in months!"

Momoi said as she went to the closet in the room and pulled out different clothing including a dark blue kimono made of silk with white water designs, which clearly contrasted the dark hue. Kuroko gently stroked the material, his fingers gliding at the smoothness, and Momoi beamed.

"Here, put this on first." She ordered as she handed him the white clothing, which he promptly put on, before Momoi carefully helped him slip on the kimono, smiling when she saw that it fit perfectly. The sleeves were suspiciously heavy as they hung off his arms, and Kuroko saw his daggers hidden within them when he checked.

"He wouldn't leave you unprotected even if there's tight security." Momoi explained when she saw his confused look. "Now turn around."

Momoi began tying an obi around his waist; the cloth, a lighter shade of blue than the kimono, had white koi embroidered into it, complementing the kimono design. "There are also some of your daggers in here as well."

"Thank you." Kuroko said softly as Momoi looked him up and down, nodding in approval, before forcing him to sit down in a chair.

"No problem, I used to help Akashi's mom dress in kimonos when I was a little girl. Not to say I'm dressing you as a girl or anything, but it still brings back memories." Momoi said nostalgically as she roughly towel dried Kuroko's hair before grabbing a brush.

"What was she like?" Kuroko asked as Momoi began brushing his hair gently. It wasn't long before all the tangles were out, but she continued to brush anyway.

"She was a lot like Akashi before she went into her depression. She was outwardly a very cold person who scared me at first, but once you get to know her, she was a very kind person. Sometimes, a little too kind though. She took deaths too hard for someone in this occupation, which was why, when her husband died, she just broke."

"I see." Kuroko murmured to himself as he looked down at his hands which were folded on his lap, vaguely remembering how Akashi told him kind gang leaders didn't last.

"All done!" Momoi said after a while, and Kuroko looked into the mirror she handed to him. Although he didn't think it looked very different, Momoi claimed that it was shinier and softer. "Alright, Akashi is probably waiting to eat lunch with you. Shoo shoo!"

"Thank you." Kuroko said with a small grateful bow before he left the room. Nigou barked around his feet, and Kuroko tried to bend down to pick him up but found it hard to lean down thanks to the obi.

As beautiful as the kimono was, it worried Kuroko to wear something that he couldn't easily fight with. It made him feel vulnerable, and in a situation he already wasn't comfortable with, it was downright alarming. The things he did for Akashi.

Kuroko entered the dining room, where Akashi was waiting, and the redhead, who was sipping some tea, froze as his mismatched eyes drank in Kuroko admiringly. Kuroko fought back a small blush at the scrutiny as he delicately sat down beside Akashi who gently stroked his hair down to his cheek.

"You look beautiful." Akashi murmured sincerely, and Kuroko couldn't stop his cheeks from turning a light pink. He noticed Akashi wearing a black three pieced suit with a deep red tie and frowned.

"You're not wearing a kimono as well?" Kuroko asked softly with slight disappointment, and Akashi shook his head as he straightened his tie.

"It's alright for dates to wear kimonos and such, but the actual people who are invited have to wear suits to look professional." Akashi murmured as he began to eat, although still looking at Kuroko from the corner of his eye admiringly.

It was just as he had thought when he had ordered the clothing; the dark material brought out Kuroko's light features, especially his pale skin, and Kuroko's hair had been brushed until it positively shined. The choker around his neck looked a bit weird, but the color matched the kimono, so it didn't stand out too much.

"I can't fight in this." Kuroko stated, and if it had come from anybody but him, it would have sounded like whining. It still was whining of course, but to Akashi, it was cute.

"Hopefully, you won't need to." Akashi said. "At least, you have your daggers on you."

"Yes, Akashi." Kuroko acquiesced, although still sounding like a petulant child. Akashi ruffled his hair indulgingly before informing Kuroko of something else the boy would dislike even more than the kimono.

"You're also going to have to wear shoes." Akashi said, and he waited for the inevitable rebuke.

"I don't want to go anymore Akashi." Kuroko deadpanned, the pout on his face growing even more prominent. The entire thing sounded more troublesome than it was worth.

"It's made of very light material." Akashi reassured, but Kuroko refused to be appeased. "I'll let you have vanilla milkshakes every day for a week after this."

"Two weeks." Kuroko rebutted, and Akashi quirked an eyebrow at Kuroko's boldness but smirked all the same.

"Alright, two weeks." Akashi acquiesced after a moment, and Kuroko nodded approvingly, although the pout didn't completely disappear, making sure Akashi knew that he still wasn't happy about this. "We need to get going after lunch, it's a long drive."

"Yes, Akashi." Kuroko murmured as he went back to eating.

They finished their meal quicker than usual and went to the genkan, where Akashi presented Kuroko with a pair of shoes that, as Akashi promised, were made of light material. The bottom was slightly thicker but in no way hindered Kuroko from fighting or even from feeling the ground.

Still, Kuroko still felt that they were restricting; it felt weird to walk with the shoes on after going through several years without. The result was him waddling slightly as they walked to the limo, trying to get used to them.

"I don't like this." Kuroko stated grumpily as if it weren't obvious enough, and Akashi chuckled.

"It's just for one day, and then we can burn them if you wish." Akashi murmured, and Kuroko sighed in resignation as they got into a sleek black car, Akashi choosing to forgo the limo for the event.

It was a long car ride, Kuroko and Akashi choosing to doze off for most of it, sitting side by side, their heads leaning against each other's, while their hands loosely linked together. Every so often, Kuroko would jolt awake and stare out the window with Akashi still leaning against him, but he would eventually be lulled back to sleep by the warmth pressed into his side and the subtle rocking of the car.

By the time they got to the charity ball location, it was just beginning to get dark. Akashi and Kuroko got out of the car and entered the large building, Kuroko lightly holding Akashi's arm as was expected of him. Inside were hundreds of people, all extravagantly dressed, mingling amongst each other.

There were white tables with utensils with empty plates on one side, a buffet, and waiters with stoic faces' walking throughout the crowds holding trays of wine as soft classical music played. So far, everyone was on the other side of the room, opposite from the tables. Their talking and voices bombarded Kuroko's ears as he tried to force his expression to be blank, keeping his nervousness hidden. He still hated crowds, and it was just so much worse when he couldn't fight or use his ability.

"Ah, Akashi-san!" A man said in English as he approached them. Akashi bowed his head, slightly out of respect. "I'm glad you could attend!"

"It's a pleasure to see you here." Akashi replied with a slight hint of an accent, while Kuroko looked between them in hidden confusion, his head tilting ever so slightly. The two shook hands, and the man turned to Kuroko with his hand outstretched, so he shook the hand as well, the grip around his smaller hand firm, and the man smiled at him good naturedly.

Akashi chitchatted with the man for a while longer before they turned to other people and repeated the process. Luckily, no one actually talked to Kuroko, and for that, he was glad since he wouldn't know what to say.

He spent the time admiring Akashi who seemed so confident in himself, always knowing what to say and how to act. Even among all the other important business people wearing expensive suits, Akashi stood out with his own light.

"Are you alright, Tetsuya?" Akashi asked softly after greeting and meeting several people. Kuroko nodded his head. "Not bored yet? I'm surprised."

"I don't mind this." Kuroko replied, and Akashi smiled at him tenderly before passing him a wineglass from a passing waiter. Kuroko eyed the dark red liquid in the large glass cup, trying to ignore the fact that it reminded him of blood, and took a sip, wrinkling his nose when his tongue was assaulted with a bitter strong taste that wouldn't leave his mouth even after swallowing.

Akashi chuckled before taking the wine from him and took a sip himself, actually seeming to enjoy it. Kuroko gave him an incredulous look which had Akashi chuckling again.

"You'll eventually get used to it." Akashi said, and Kuroko gave him a disbelieving look, looking up when he sensed two people approaching them. His heart froze a gasp forming but never leaving his mouth. His heartbeat began to quicken, and it seemed to pound in his ears.

At first, all he noticed was a tall man in a black suit like Akashi's with odd thick eyebrows, piercing amber eyes and straight black hair. Kuroko vaguely remembered seeing him doing business with Haizaki in the past; he hadn't like him back then.

What had Kuroko freezing in shock though was the person beside him, barely visible, which proved Kuroko's earlier theory true. The silver locks that went to his shoulders, sharp slate eyes, and the emotionless expression that was dauntingly like his own. Wearing an ash grey kimono, he hadn't changed a bit. As soon as their eyes met, it was like a loose thread connecting them went taut.

"...Chihiro..."


	20. Chapter 20

Wonderfully beta'd by AokazuSei

* * *

><p>Everything around Kuroko seemed to vanish, even Akashi whose arm was wrapped around his own. His heart was beating quickly, and his breaths were coming out in uneven intervals. His eyes were wide and were unable to see anything else but the smug look on Mayuzumi's, his <em>twin,<em> face.

He knew his twin was still alive, but it was a blow to see him in person. He had so many questions on the tip of his tongue. How did he survive? Why was he with Hanamiya? Why was he behind the misdeeds on Akashi's turf? Why did he get Ogiwara to kill Akashi?

Kuroko couldn't even get his mouth to move to voice these questions. The sounds around him were strangely muffled, and all he could hear was his own heart beating. Breathing was suddenly getting harder to accomplish.

A hand gripped one of his arms tightly, nails digging into his wrist painfully, anchoring Kuroko back to reality. Kuroko took a subtle deep breath and cleared his mind, pushing back his emotions as he was so skilled in doing.

"I'm honored to be in your presence, Akashi." Hanamiya said, his voice slick like oil, full of subtle teasing and mocking. Akashi had to have heard it, but he kept his face clear of any emotions except for a slight fake amiable look in his eyes as he shook hands with Hanamiya.

"It's nice to see you again, Tetsuya." Mayuzumi said, and god's, Kuroko could almost feel himself tear up at the sound of the voice that he once heard through most of his life, the one always comforting him and giving him strength that he had convinced himself that he would never hear again.

"Chihiro...It's been a long time." Kuroko said as he forced himself not to stammer to not run to his twin and beg his forgiveness. In all honesty, one of the only reasons he didn't was Akashi was still gripping his wrist firmly, as if trying to give him strength through touch and restrain him.

"Ah, right, I remember Mayuzumi here telling me about his twin. Why don't we let them go and get reacquainted?" Hanamiya suggested, and Mayuzumi nodded in agreement whilst the hand around Kuroko's wrist tightened as Akashi's jaw clenched unperceptively, his eyes narrowed in thought while trying to think of a way out of the situation without seeming rude; after all, in the crowd of important people, appearances was everything.

"It's fine Akashi, I can deal with this." Kuroko whispered so his soft voice only reached Akashi's ear as he gently removed the hand from his wrist and unwrapped his arms from Akashi. A small reassuring smile graced his lips as he met worried mismatched eyes that silently asked if he was sure; he responded with a small nod.

"Let us get some fresh air." Mayuzumi said as he began to trot off to the balcony without looking back to see if Kuroko was following. With one last look at Akashi, Kuroko slinked off to follow his brother, his head whirling with possible outcomes.

The chill night air filled Kuroko's lungs with icy spikes as he took deep breathes; white puffs escaped as he exhaled. His nails dug into his palm, the mild pain keeping him from panicking. He wasn't able to lock up the memories of Mayuzumi with that bloody hole in his chest, so perfectly centered, leaking blood everywhere.

As if sensing his thoughts, Mayuzumi leaned against the white intricately designed balcony bars. Loosening the neck of his kimono, a round scar was revealed on the hollow of his neck, causing Kuroko to force himself not to look away in shame.

"I'm sorry." Kuroko whispered, and he had to fight back a wince because those two words were so weak compared to how he felt. Mayuzumi tilted his head and just leisurely looked Kuroko from head to foot, drinking in all the details before slowly meeting Kuroko's eyes with his ash grey ones.

"I forgive you." Mayuzumi said the words that Kuroko had always wanted to hear. Kuroko knew he should feel knee buckling relief, but all he felt was emptiness because he knew that Mayuzumi was lying, as smooth as the lie was. If Kuroko wasn't his twin, then he would have bought it.

"No, you don't." Kuroko whispered nearly brokenly, and his twin gave him such a sickening soft look that just had Kuroko's stomach coiling.

"I have already had my revenge. I sent Ogiwara to you, knowing that he would befriend you because, quite frankly, I knew you were his type. He was such a friendly fellow, and I also knew he would try to kill Akashi. How did that betrayal feel, Tetsuya?"

"You planned the entire thing out." Kuroko said bluntly, and Mayuzumi nodded with equal bluntness without an ounce of regret. Kuroko squashed the anger he felt toward his twin who had been the one behind Akashi's attempted assassination.

"You now know just a smidgen of how I felt, and so I can move on. I'm quite happy where I am now. Hanamiya had saved me when you so cruelly shot me, and he's given me a decent life. He's the gang leader of Kirisaki, the gang between Seirin and Teiko." Mayuzumi explained with a smug smirk as he fingered the expensive kimono he adorned proudly.

"What about the trouble in Teiko territory?" Kuroko questioned, and Mayuzumi shrugged boredly.

"Hanamiya was behind most of that, he get jealous sometimes, you know, and I just knew that you would find my clue if I left it. Everything will be solved if the meeting between him and Akashi goes well. As we speak, they're probably discussing territory."

Kuroko peered through the large glass windowed doors that separated the building and balcony. He could see a hint of red hair in the crowd.

"Such boring talk." Mayuzumi said smoothly, and suddenly before Kuroko could even move, his twin was hugging him, his thin arms wrapping around Kuroko's body delicately, his head leaning on Kuroko's shoulder. It was the first time in years since Mayuzumi had touched him in such a kind comforting way, but it was just so wrong.

It was a like a play, and Kuroko and Mayuzumi were the actors. His twin was playing the role of the forgiving big brother redeeming Kuroko and outwardly showing his forgiveness, but at the end of the show, the act would end. It was sickening.

Still, it was so nostalgically painful to feel his arms around him and to smell his scent again that Kuroko couldn't help but bring shaky arms up to wrap around his twin. He heard his twin chuckle, and they broke apart. There was a look in Mayuzumi's eyes, that just for a second, made Kuroko feel that perhaps everything he had said was true.

There was a longing look in the steel eyes that looked at him in near fondness, a fragment of how he used to look at Kuroko in the past. Just for a second, Kuroko found himself believing his twin's words, words that he so desperately wanted to be true.

But in the next moment, all emotion was wiped from Mayuzumi's face as he gave Kuroko a smile and a pat on the shoulder.

"I'm truly glad to be reunited with you Tetsuya. Now that you've been punished, I hope that we can mend the bond between us." Mayuzumi said, and Kuroko numbly nodded with carefully vacant eyes. It was all a play. A beautiful and agonizing play that Kuroko didn't know the ending to.

"Ah, perhaps negotiations didn't go well." Mayuzumi murmured, and Kuroko turned to see Akashi walking, border lining storming, towards them, a look of frustration in his eyes that only Kuroko could make out. "I hope to see you again soon, Tetsuya."

"It was nice meeting you, Chihiro," Mayuzumi's eyes narrowed at Akashi's casual use of his first name, but Akashi ignored the look. "It is to my regret that Tetsuya and I must be going."

"Not even going to stay for dinner?" Mayuzumi asked.

"I have a previous engagement that I had forgotten until now, so we must really be leaving." Akashi said diplomatically. "Let's go, Tetsuya."

Kuroko nodded as he looked at Mayuzumi with longing his in his blue eyes as he allowed himself to be guided away by Akashi. Mayuzumi waved at him with a smile until Kuroko turned around to look at Akashi.

Mayuzumi once again leaned against the railing, crossing his arms and a small smirk on his lips as he watched his dear little brother being dragged off. Hanamiya was smirking delightfully as he sauntered out onto the balcony, his piercing gaze landed on Mayuzumi who inclined his head slightly in greeting.

"How did your little talk go? I know you were raring to talk to him." Hanamiya asked as he pulled out a cigar and placed it between his lips but not lighting it quite yet.

"He's changed...Or rather, he has digressed a bit to how he used to be." Mayuzumi said, and Hanamiya glowered at the slightly wistfulness in the voice.

"Do not forget, he was the one who killed you. You were dead when I found you, and it was out of sheer luck I was able to bring you back to life. You must show Kuroko the mercilessness he had showed you." Hanamiya said in a tone that suggested that it was something that he had said so many times; it had practically become embedded in him.

"I know." Mayuzumi said as his steel eyes became void of anything, and he brushed of a piece of non-existent lint off his kimono.

"The best way to do that is to take away what is most precious to him of course. Which would be Akashi Seijuro."

"Is everything in place?" Mayuzumi asked, and Hanamiya nodded as he pulled out a cellphone.

* * *

><p>"Are you okay Tetsuya?" Akashi asked as he faced Kuroko just outside of the building, his hands on the boy's shoulders, fingers digging into them as his eyes looked into Kuroko's worriedly, trying to discern his state of mind.<p>

"He said he forgave me. That Ogiwara-kun was his revenge, and now he wants us to be brother's again." Kuroko said numbly, and while his lips moved and the words came out, he had no recollection of having any actual control of what he said.

Akashi paused, closing his eyes for a second, before asking the question that he did not wish to voice but needed to know.

"Do you believe him?" He asked quietly, and for a second, there was an agonized look on Kuroko's face that was wiped away in the next.

"No." Kuroko replied monotonously, and Akashi sighed as he led Kuroko to the car. There would be a long discussion when they got home but in front of the charity ball was the not the place.

"Hurry." Akashi ordered the driver who nodded sharply and sped off, toeing the line to speeding, as Akashi pulled Kuroko onto his lap, pressing the small head to his chest, so he could hear the steady rhythm of his heart.

The sound soothed Kuroko as it always did, comforting him in a way no words could, but it did not erase Mayuzumi from his mind. His twin was plotting something, and Kuroko knew at some point he would have to stop him...Or did he have that right?

No, no he would if Akashi's life was at stake. If it were his life only then Kuroko wouldn't mind, but if it involved Akashi ,then Kuroko would stop Mayuzumi. Cold painful resolve settled into Kuroko as he closed his eyes and listened to Akashi murmuring to him softly, not saying anything important, just meaningless words intended to give Kuroko comfort.

Hands gently rubbed his arm up and down as Akashi rested his head atop Kuroko's, his eyes, despite his actions, were far from tender. They were cold and calculating, despising that he had not foreseen what had happened. He did not like being taken off-guard.

"What the..." The driver said, possibly the first words Akashi had actually ever heard him say, and it was the only warning that he received when something slammed into the car.

The next few seconds were utter chaos. All Kuroko could hear was the moaning and screeching of bending metal as everything was upturned. Suddenly, he was lying on the ceiling of the car, Akashi's body curled against him protectively which was ludicrous because he was the one who was supposed to be doing the protecting.

There was broken glass everywhere, some of it embedded into his body, and his head was bleeding from it being slammed on the ceiling, his vision blurry and unfocused as he blearily looked around. Akashi wasn't moving.

"A..ka..shi..." Kuroko croaked out, trying to move, but his heavy body refused to cooperate. He tried to lift his head to assess the situation but even that proved to be too much labor. He ended up lightly banging it back down. He didn't feel pain, probably due to his body going into shock, but he felt incredibly weak. Blood was leaking all over the place from both of them.

There was a grinding of metal, and a large bang as the doorway to the car was torn off, and suddenly Akashi was removed from on top of him, Kuroko weakly trying to clutch onto him but was too weak to move.

Everything was blurry, and all he could make out was undiscernible shapes that moved oddly, like in slow motion with blurred afterimages.

"Hanamiya sends his regards." A voice said loudly and slowly, so it could penetrate Kuroko ears which seemed almost deafened since all the noises around him was oddly muffled except for a high pitched ringing in his head. Then, the shadow people were gone, and Kuroko panicked.

He gathered his strength and began to crawl, ignoring the glass from the shattered windows that dug into his skin, as he crawled out of the upturned car and onto the road where a crowd of people were beginning to group, blood trailing after him.

"No..." Kuroko moaned as hands stopped him from moving, and voices reached him telling him to stop moving and to save his energy. He looked through foggy eyes trying to spot red, but all he saw was black shades of shadows all around him. Then, everything went black.

* * *

><p>Akashi slowly drifted back to consciousness, but as soon as he realized that he was sitting on an uncomfortable wooden chair, he kept his eyes closed and breathing evened as he assessed the situation.<p>

Alright.

He had seen a car smash into the side of his own car, which had overturned with the impact.

He had protected Kuroko with his body. He was unsure of Kuroko's current state.

His back hurt the most, and there was a dull but manageable pain in his head. All non-life threatening.

He felt something wrapped around his head. He was blindfolded.

His hands were tied behind him to the back of the chair in a way that hurt his shoulders.

His feet were tied to the legs of the chair.

His legs also hurt, and he was unsure if he could run if the situation ever called for it.

There were sounds around him, shuffling of feet, murmured voices.

A voice right in front of him, shuffling of feet northwest, more shuffling south west and southeast behind him, a clearing of a voice on his right, a bored sigh on his far left. Approximately, six people were around him.

Akashi subtle tested the ropes around his wrists and feet, but there was no give. He would be unable to break free.

What an annoying situation.

"Why don't we just kill him?" A voice on his far left asked, and Akashi recognized it as Mayuzumi's. He had to forcibly make his body relax to feign unconsciousness. When he got free, he was going to kill him. "Wasn't that the plan?"

"Why rush it?" That despicable mocking voice reached Akashi ears and rage filled him. "Let's wait until your little brother gets here, and they can have a little reunion before we kill Akashi, and then your twin."

"You're choice." The monotonous voice said boredly.

"Are you sure the kid will even find us?" A voice asked from behind Akashi, and Mayuzumi chuckled darkly.

"I have the utmost confidence in my little twin. He'll find us. Just make sure you're prepared for him or he'll kill you all."

"Don't worry." Hanamiya's voice said confidently with a small chuckle. "We have a little trap for him so his ability won't work."

Akashi gritted his teeth and struggled to get out of the ropes, but they were tied too tightly to the point it interrupted his blood flow. Akashi leaned back in the chair slightly, trying to figure out how strong the wood was, but there was no give at his weight which meant the chair was made out of thick wood, meaning it wouldn't break easily.

With that Akashi reluctantly deducted that he would not be able to escape, which meant he was at the mercy of Hanamiya and his gang.

Which meant Kuroko would come here, because Akashi was just as confident in him as Mayuzumi, and would fall right into their trap. It didn't help that he could possibly be injured from the car crash which would weaken him.

'Damn it.' Was all Akashi could think of. His mind tried to think of a way out of the situation because, if he didn't, Kuroko would die.

* * *

><p>Kuroko's nose wrinkled at the foreign smell that invaded it. The air smelt different, like the disinfectant that the maids used, only much stronger, and Kuroko found himself despising the scent. Then, his eyes snapped open as he remembered the car accident; the screeching and grinding of bending metal, the shattering of glass all around him, Akashi's body protecting him and Akashi...Akashi being taken.<p>

Kuroko sat up, expertly ignoring the pain in his head, and saw that he was in a tiny room with curtains around the bed, and small inactive machines around him. He had bandages around his arms and legs as well as around his head. He wasn't wearing the kimono anymore but a weird green dress thing made of flimsy material.

Kuroko had to think for a second to realize that he was in a hospital, although he had no recollection of how he got there. Shadows moved behind the curtains before they were shoved away. Kise and Aomine entered both holding steaming cups of coffee.

"Kurokocchi!" Kise said happily as he leapt on the bed and hugged Kuroko tightly, tears in his eyes that weren't wholly fake.

"Where's Akashi?" Kuroko demanded, and Kise and Aomine stood up straight with serious expressions.

"We don't know. He wasn't there, although there were witnesses that they did see a red-haired short man being carried away, but nobody stopped him." Aomine replied, and Kuroko closed his eyes remembering the words that were said to him. 'Hanamiya sends his regards.'

Kuroko was about to tell Kise and Aomine, but he knew that they would barge into Hanamiya's territory, army of Teiko and all, so he stopped.

It would cause a war to do so, and Kuroko didn't want to start one without Akashi with them. It would be a better plan to sneak in, get Akashi, and then plan on what to do next, leaving it up to Akashi to start a war or not.

He could relay that to Aomine and Kise, who would surely help him themselves instead, but they would just get in his way and possibly get hurt or killed. Kise mentioned that they were like Akashi's family, so if Kuroko could get Akashi on his own without getting them hurt, then that would be best wouldn't it? Then...If something happened to him, then Akashi would still have people to protect him. Not saving Akashi wasn't an option in Kuroko's head, he knew he would.

He wished Akashi was there to tell him what to do...But he wasn't.

So...Kuroko had to figure out where Hanamiya was, but how would he go about that? He could be anywhere...

Kuroko closed his eyes as he blocked out the bickering between Kise and Aomine, focusing his thoughts. Nobody in Teiko would know, although Momoi could possibly find out, but that would take a long time, time which they didn't have. He could ask around Kirisaki territory, but that would attract unwanted attention.

Kuroko sighed as he opened his eyes and stared out the window, knowing that there was only one person he knew that would possibly know where Hanamiya was, and it was the last person Kuroko ever wanted to see, but he would do _anything_ for Akashi.

"I am tired." Kuroko said softly, and the two bodyguards nodded.

"The nurses want you to stay here for 24 hours to monitor you since you might have a concussion, so you'll have to stay here. Rest up, and we'll plan how to get Akashicchi back." Kise said with unusual seriousness. Kuroko bobbed his head and watched as they left.

He waited for about twenty minutes or so to give them ample time to leave the hospital before he stepped out of the bed and cautiously looked out the curtain. Directly on the other side of the curtain was another bed with a patient in it with his leg in a cast hanging in a sling.

The old man gave Kuroko a warm smile and wave, which Kuroko nodded his head to as he looked around for his clothes because he didn't quite fancy the idea in walking around the streets in a hospital gown.

There was a small cupboard across the room, and Kuroko spotted a set of clothing that looked like Teiko's uniform that Aomine and Kise must have brought over. On closer inspection, Kuroko was pleased to spot that they had the foresight to also fill the compartments with a few daggers.

"Young man, are you allowed to leave?" The old man asked as Kuroko changed into his uniform and dumped the hospital gown in a nearby hamper. Kuroko didn't deign to answer, and instead used his ability making the old man shout in surprise when he suddenly vanished.

Kuroko left the room and looked around, weaving past the bustling nurses and doctors as he tried to find his way out of the place. It was a big hospital with many floors, and he didn't even know which floor he currently was.

After aimlessly wondering through the hospital, Kuroko finally found an elevator that took him down to first floor, apparently he had been on the ninth floor, and it took him even more time to finally find the exit.

Thus began his long trek to his destination. Unfortunately, the hospital was not one of the limited areas that Kuroko knew since he had never been taken there before; Haizaki had always preferred underground doctors who didn't care of legalities.

It was many hours of trekking on bare feet until Kuroko finally arrived at his destination, eyeing the building with wariness and reluctance, every bone in his body telling him to turn around and run away. Kuroko pushed back that instinct though and forced his feet to walk forward.

Soon, Kuroko was in front of an all too familiar door, and although he did not know the side he was facing all too well, he knew what the other side of the door looked like to the tiny dents in the metal door to the grimy doorknob.

Kuroko took a deep shaky breath before knocking on the door, trying to keep Akashi's image in his mind as he did so, pushing open the door when he heard a gruff voice inviting him in. He could do this. He had to do this. For Akashi.

So, Kuroko entered the room that he had hoped he would never step foot in again, and his eyes immediately landed on the cage in the corner, thousands of memories flooding him, bringing phantom pain that had Kuroko closing his eyes and forcing everything back. He didn't have time for that. He didn't know how long he had to save Akashi, so he didn't have time to lament over the past.

He opened his now vacant eyes to face Haizaki who looked at him in mild shock before grinning as he leaned against his wooden desk. He hadn't changed a bit since Kuroko had last seen him, except there were lines of exhaustion on his face.

"What do we have here? Did my precious pet come back? Did your old master dissatisfy you?" Haizaki asked with a mocking tone, and Kuroko didn't let anything show on his face.

"I need to know what you know about Hanamiya-kun." Kuroko stated.

"Oh? You need a favor from me?" Haizaki asked as he stood up and walked over to Kuroko, circling him like a predator before his prey, preparing to leap for the kill. It took everything in Kuroko to not drop to a fighting stance.

"Yes." Kuroko replied blandly, and Haizaki hummed in thought.

"What will you do for me boy?" Haizaki asked with his mouth right by his ear, and Kuroko closed his eyes and shuddered.

"What do you want?" Kuroko asked, and Haizaki chuckled as a rough hand traced Kuroko's jaw line, trailing to his chin then making its way down to his neck and touching the choker he was still wearing.

"I want you back." Haizaki replied, and Kuroko clenched his fists and jaw, feeling bile rise in his throat. He swallowed inaudibly, but Haizaki chuckled as the motion reached his hand. "People aren't paying back their loans, so I need my special little pet back."

"I can't." Kuroko whispered softly, and he hated himself for the spike of fear that shot through him. He didn't want to be scared of this man that had tortured him for most of his life. He wanted to be angry, he wanted to want to kill him, but all he had was this stupid unsettling terrified feeling that threatened to make him shake.

Even though he had Akashi now, a huge part of him still considered Haizaki his master, and it absolutely sickened Kuroko.

"I am Akashi's." Kuroko said resolutely, and Haizaki's hand tightened around Kuroko's neck, hindering his breathing slightly.

"Then, I won't tell you. I hope you don't need the information too badly." Haizaki said, and Kuroko flinched although the hand around his neck prevented him from moving too much.

Could he...Could he really do this? Go back to Haizaki for Akashi? Back to the old days of servitude and killing? Back to being an emotionless doll? Willing go back into the cage?

Kuroko felt like breaking down at the thought, but he steeled himself. No, he couldn't act like a baby. This was all for Akashi who had been the one who had given him his freedom in the first place.

"If you tell me where Hanamiya-san is and allow me time to kill him, then I will...I will go back to you." Kuroko choked out, and he squeezed his still closed eyes when the choker around him was suddenly ripped off his neck as if to seal the deal.

Haizaki whispered the address in Kuroko's ear, his cigarette scented breath wafting into Kuroko's nose, and suddenly Haizaki was gone, waltzing back to his desk with a smug grin on his face. Kuroko opened his eyes which automatically looked at his cage before stiffly leaving the room.

As soon as he left the building, he leaned against the cement wall and took deep breathes that came out shaky. He closed his eyes once more and focused.

Akashi encouraged him to feel emotions, but right now, that was a weakness, and it left openings for failure. Saving Akashi was something he refused to fail at. He had to go back to the way he was before. No more feelings. No thinking. He had a goal, and he had to ignore all else, just like he had before.

Kuroko opened his eyes, devoid of absolutely anything, before he swiftly disappeared.


	21. Chapter 21

Wonderfully beta'd by AokazuSei

* * *

><p>Kuroko looked up at the old warehouse in front of him, two dead bodies beside him, throats neatly slit and faces frozen in fear. He tilted his head, studying the covered windows, the old metal door, trying to hear any noises but none came to his ears.<p>

He readjusted his grip on the daggers in his hands, blood dripping down the silver blades and falling on the asphalt, joining the pool already formed.

The building was two stories high and Akashi was more likely kept on the second floor and it was just as likely that everyone was ready to kill him on the first. There was no way to sneak in, Kuroko had checked, so that left only the front door he was currently standing in front of.

With a deep breath Kuroko kicked open the doors and immediately ducked down, expecting a hail of gun fire but much to his surprise nothing happened. Inside the large building was an entire floor full of aisles of made of shelves holding an assortment of things but mostly they were full of boxes. It was also brightly lit for a warehouse.

The problem with that was the stairs to the second floor was on the other side of the room and meanwhile he had no idea how many people were hiding and waiting for him behind the shelves. Still, with his ability he should be able to pass them without even having to engage in battle.

Activating his ability, Kuroko stepped inside onto the cement flooring and there was a crunch as his feet stepped onto a pile of broken glass, his face remaining passive as he pushed the pain to the back of his mind.

There were neither windows by the door nor any broken overhead lights so the glass was intentionally placed, perhaps in an attempt to slow him down by injuring him. His icy eyes scanned the rest of floor that he could see but there were no more broken glass from what he could see.

So he continued to the aisle in front of him which was empty. It went through the entire room so he could see the other side of the room at the other end. His steps were completely silent, leaving bloody prints as he walked, and his eyes warily looked around wishing he could see the other aisles but the boxes on the shelves obscured his view.

It was completely silent but Kuroko's instincts were telling him that he was far from alone and he didn't dare lower his guard.

There was a click from behind him and Kuroko jumped up onto the shelf beside him to avoid the bullet that was aimed at his body. Luckily he was light enough that the shelf barely moved. If he had been any heavier the shelf could have possible toppled over.

Kuroko looked at the man who had tried to shoot him with a small frown. The gun the man held was trained exactly where Kuroko was which was odd. Yes, the aisle was slightly narrow but it raised Kuroko's suspicions nonetheless.

He watched warily as the man kept looking at the ground and Kuroko's eyes followed his gaze and he stifled a sigh when he saw the bloody prints he had left behind. The glass had been purposely put there, knowing he would step into it which would give away his position and the bright light helped them see better.

Hanamiya was a smart man.

Kuroko was smarter.

The boy climbed up the shelf until he reached the empty dusty top where he laid his body down flat. The shelf swayed dangerously, the man raising his gun at it warily, and Kuroko held his breath as the shelf balanced out and stopped moving.

The man stayed still, watching it with a frown, before his eyes caught the blood that covered each level of the shelf leading to the top. His eyes were lighting up in realization when Kuroko jumped on top of him, quickly plunging his dagger into his chest and covering his mouth so he couldn't shout. The clothes and hat he was wearing was made of an odd thick material so Kuroko had to use more force to dig the dagger deep enough to kill the man.

"I'm sorry." Kuroko whispered remorsefully as he stayed on top of the man until he died. Kuroko removed his hand from his mouth and swiftly climbed back up onto the top of the shelf. From this height he could make out people hiding in the aisles, all wearing black, eyes trained on the ground, guns held out, wearing the same clothes so Kuroko couldn't just throw daggers at them to kill them since it required a lot of force to tear the clothes.

Kuroko began crawling toward the other side of the room, the shelves swaying under his weight but luckily not enough to grab anybody's attention quite yet. Dust coated his clothing and Kuroko had to stifle a cough a few times as it flew into his nose and mouth.

Still, he stayed as quiet as he could because it would be troublesome to have to fight them all.

It didn't take him long to reach the end and he peered around the wall and he saw a door that probably led to the stairs. Unfortunately it was a few aisles away so Kuroko would have to jump and make a run for it.

Kuroko looked around once more. There were a few men in the aisles he would have to pass, some of them looking away to peer down their aisle but the rest would see his bloody footprints and Kuroko did not have enough confidence to avoid all the bullets that would follow him.

Kuroko narrowed his eyes in thought, his eyes wondering around the sections of shelves around him before he got an idea that had a high chance of failing but was decent enough to try anyway. No, that was a lie, it was a stupid idea and Kuroko damn well knew it, but it was the only idea he had.

Kuroko raised his body slightly, took a deep breath, chuckling ever so slightly when he thought of the lecture Akashi would give him if he knew what he was about to do, before leaping and throwing his weight on the shelf beside him, toppling it over and Kuroko leapt to the next shelf before it fell to the ground, repeating it over and over as he got nearer to the door.

There was a lot of shouting, guns were being fired, a bullet piercing Kuroko's arm making him almost cry out but he forced himself to keep going through the pain, not looking back until he finally leapt to the ground and ran to the door, reaching the doorknob and twisting.

Only for it to not turn. It was locked.

Kuroko flew to the ground as bullets were shot at the door and he began to crawl on his knees and arms quickly so he wouldn't leave any blood trails until he was in another aisle, thankfully empty as the men focused their attention on the door. Kuroko panted heavily, sweat beading his brow, his eyes wide as he watched the men and tried to come up with a new plan.

Suddenly there was an odd static sound and Kuroko looked around to try to find the source of the sound, his eyes landing on a small grey box stuck to the ceiling.

"I just knew you would find us!" Hanamiya's voice floated out of the device and Kuroko gritted his teeth in anger as he heard the mocking tone. "As you must have guessed, Akashi is just up the stairs but poor you, the door is locked. I'll let you on to a little secret though, one of the men on the first floor has the keys! Good luck figuring out which one that is~"

There was a click and the static sound that had accompanied Hanamiya's voice stopped as everything went silent except for the loud talking of the men around him as they tried to find him.

Anger filled Kuroko as he realized that he was being played with, that this was all but a fun game to Hanamiya. Fine.

Kuroko tore at his pants and wrapped his feet with the fabric tightly, soaking up the blood, and Kuroko leapt to his feet. He would eventually bleed through the fabric but until then he would be completely invisible.

It would take forever to weave through the aisles and take them all down, so Kuroko began doing the stupidest thing he could possibly do.

He began knocking down all the shelves he could, demolishing the aisles. The shelves toppled over themselves, some of the falling like dominoes and a lot of the men were squashed under them. Guns began firing everywhere once more and everything was pure chaos.

A few bullets grazed Kuroko by pure luck but even more bullets ended up killing their own comrades amongst the chaos. Everyone was panicking, their aim off, not focusing where they were shooting. Sloppy training.

At one point Kuroko sat on top of a shelf and just watched around him as they shouted in alarm, eyes wide and desperate, shooting at every little noise or even at each other if someone made too quick a movement.

Most of the shelves were knocked down so their hiding spots were compromised, leaving them wide open. It was still a dangerous situation, stray bullets flying everywhere, their movements unpredictable; and if Kuroko wasn't careful he would end up dead.

He jumped down and stayed low to the ground, checking the pockets of the dead or knocked out bodies on the ground, coming up empty every time, a bad feeling niggling at him.

"Where the fuck is he?!" A man screamed and suddenly he was spinning in a circle, shooting everywhere, and Kuroko winced as a bullet hit his side. He fell onto the ground and he gripped the wound as he panted in pain, blood pouring out.

He was already bleeding pretty badly from various places and he was already feeling a little lightheaded. With this new additional wound he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep going.

Kuroko raised his hand and looked at it, the rich red coloring it reminding him of Akashi. No, he had to keep going. He wasn't allowed to stop until Akashi was safe.

Someone shot the man who had completely lost his mind in the head so there was now only a mere five people left. Kuroko took deep quiet breaths before he turned onto his stomach and began crawling towards the closet man.

"Did we kill him?" The man asked as he scanned the ground, not noticing the trail of blood coming towards him.

Another man did though and he began shooting but Kuroko had already reached the man and he used his body as a shield. The body jolted in his grip as the bullets hit him and Kuroko grabbed his gun, shooting at the remained live men.

He killed one man with ease, shot and missed another but his second bullet did the job, a third man dove and hid behind a fallen shelf, and Kuroko aimed to kill the fourth man but there was only a click which signalled that his gun was now out of bullets.

Kuroko gritted his teeth and began to back away so his back hit the wall so nobody could sneak up behind him, dragging the dead body in front of him. The men alive had heard the empty click and knew he was out of bullets.

Kuroko warily looked over at the approaching men over the corpse's shoulder and saw them giving each other triumphant looks as if they had already won. Hanamiya really hadn't trained them well if he had at all. One of them didn't even have a gun anymore.

Kuroko threw the corpse at one of the men, which knocked him over and distracted the other two, before he flew at the other man with the gun, kicking him in the head with all his strength, knocking him out.

The man on the ground yelped and pushed the corpse off of him and aimed his gun, wavering as he realized that he couldn't see Kuroko very well, not well enough to aim true.

"Show yourself, you damn coward!" The man screamed when Kuroko suddenly appeared directly in front of him, his face inches away from the man's. Kuroko delicately grabbed the man's arm and twisted it until he heard bone cracking. The gun dropped to the ground as the man howled in pain and Kuroko ducked as the other man tried to kick him.

Kuroko grabbed the dropped gun and hopped away from the two who glared at him and looked at the gun in his hand warily and with resignation as they expected to be killed.

"I don't wish to kill you. Just leave." Kuroko whispered, swaying slightly from the blood loss. The men traded looks with each other then looked back at Kuroko, their eyes trying to discern if he was tricking them.

Kuroko opened the bullet chamber of the gun he held and made sure the men saw him dump the bullets on the ground.

"Leave, or I will kill you." Kuroko said once more and this time the men didn't hesitate on running to the door. They were reaching for the door handle when there were two gunshots that whizzed past Kuroko and hit them both in the head.

Kuroko's eyes widened and he slowly turned around to see Hanamiya blowing the smoke that came out of his gun with a smirk on his face, his amber eyes looking at Kuroko smugly, the door leading to the upstairs wide open.

"I'm impressed!" Hanamiya said as he slunk toward Kuroko unhurriedly, eyes looking at the wreckage of the room. "I honestly didn't think you could do it."

"Where's Akashi?" Kuroko said as he stood tall to hide how injured he was and Hanamiya gave him a smirk.

"Upstairs of course. You know, there was never a key. Like I would leave it with these fools." Hanamiya kicked one of his men's head with derision and Kuroko gritted his teeth angrily. "Of course, to get to him you'll have to get past me and you really don't look so good."

It was true, Kuroko wasn't doing so well, his vision was getting slightly blurry. Even if he did get past Hanamiya he knew he would have to get past his twin. He had to do this quickly.

Kuroko charged at Hanamiya at full speed, not using his ability to save the little stamina he had left, and dodged the bullets Hanamiya shot. His hand dipped into his bullet wound, wetting his hand with blood and as soon as he was close enough he slapped Hanamiya on the face, more specifically at his eyes, blinding him with the thick liquid.

Momentarily blinded, Hanamiya was unable to dodge the quick barrage of kicks Kuroko hit him with, aiming for his pressure points. Suddenly Hanamiya swung his gun and it smacked Kuroko in the head with a loud crack and Kuroko fell on the ground.

There was a ringing in his head and for a second his vision went completely black but his vision righted itself after a few hard blinks.

"Where is he?!" Hanamiya snarled as he wiped the blood off his face as he glared at the staircase. After a moment Kuroko realized that Hanamiya meant Mayuzumi and wondered what was going on. Was Mayuzumi supposed to be with Hanamiya? If so then why wasn't he? Was he betraying Hanamiya?

_"__There are the people who are tools, and there are the people who use the tools..."_

_"I refuse to be a tool again."_

Kuroko nearly chuckled as he realized that his twin had indeed abandoned Hanamiya, knowing full well Kuroko would kill him. Hanamiya had come to the same realization as well.

"Well you are twins after all." Hanamiya said just as Kuroko lunged at him with a dagger in his hand. "He'll kill you."

Kuroko plunged the dagger into Hanamiya with a whispered apology that he didn't deserve but got anyway. The black haired man chuckled even as blood poured out his mouth and he fell down, his amber eyes showing no regrets just plain amusement.

"I know he will." Kuroko whispered to himself. "But I'll save Akashi first."

"There's no need to." Kuroko looked up to see Mayuzumi walking down the steps, face void of emotions, weaponless. He wore an off white fighting outfit consisting of a tight tank top and skin tight pants that showed off his fit physique, obviously having trained after being saved.

"Chihiro." Kuroko greeted monotonously as he stood up. Mayuzumi's eyes looked at Hanamiya with contempt before piercing cerulean eyes.

"I have no real business with Akashi myself." Mayuzumi said bored with a wave of his hand. "It was all Hanamiya. Apparently Akashi's folks killed his so this whole thing was about his own revenge and I just used him to get to you. He wanted to kill you in front of Akashi even though he told me it would be the other way around. Foolish really."

"Just set him free Chihiro. I don't care what you do to me just let him go." Kuroko said tiredly and Mayuzumi looked displeased at the lack of fight in him.

"I won't harm him. Once I'm done with you I'll leave and Teiko will eventually find him." Mayuzumi said with a shrug. "But you have to fight me. I won't be satisfied unless you fight. It would be too boring if you let me kill you."

Mayuzumi dropped to a fighting stance and Kuroko wobbled slightly as he dropped to his own. They stared each other down for a few seconds before lunging at each other at breakneck speed, Kuroko kicking Mayuzumi's side and his twin punching him in the face.

They broke apart just to dart at each other again, evenly matched but as time went by it became obvious that if Kuroko wasn't suffering severe blood loss then he would be winning. He had been fighting longer, his muscles much more developed, while Mayuzumi's movements were sloppy and his instincts not honed to fighting quite yet.

He left himself open although Kuroko was unsure if that was due to inexperience or rage. He hated himself for every kick and punch he landed on Mayuzumi but he had to fight. It was the only way to save Akashi.

Kuroko stifled a cry when Mayuzumi kicked his bullet wound on the side of body and he fought his body's natural reaction of curling up with the pain and instead kicked Mayuzumi in the head, the blow not strong enough to do more than make his twin stumble.

"Do you even feel remorse for killing?" Mayuzumi asked mockingly and Kuroko gripped the side of his body, panting heavily, feeling nauseous from overexertion. He had run out of stamina a while ago and the only thing keeping him going was pure adrenaline.

"Yes." Kuroko said bluntly and Mayuzumi looked a bit taken aback. "I did it because I had to. I do it because I have to."

Kuroko's eyes flickered to the stairs before looking back at his twin, frowning when he saw something glint behind him.

A man who had regained consciousness had his gun trained at Mayuzumi which didn't make any sense. They were on the same side so why...

No...If Mayuzumi wasn't there the shot would hit Kuroko in the head. Was it possible that Mayuzumi was using his ability while Kuroko was too tired to and it just didn't work against him? If so then...

There was a click and Kuroko was charging at his twin who tried to lash out at him but Kuroko pushed him away and there was a loud bang.

At first, Kuroko thought it had missed, even as his body flew in the air and landed on his back heavily. There wasn't any pain although everything got weird. It was suddenly hard to breath and his body felt oddly numb which wasn't normal.

There was shouting and Kuroko saw Mayuzumi knock they man out again before running to him. His twin just stared at his chest in shock and Kuroko's eyes followed his gaze and he saw a red spot spreading across it. Ah, so he really was shot.

"I-I'm s-sorry. N-no re-revenge f-for you." Kuroko stammered wryly, finding it hard to talk, and his twin gave him a shaky look as he shook his head.

"It's not supposed to feel this way. I'm supposed to be happy. I'm supposed to feel free." His twin muttered, his eyes wide in shock and Kuroko smiled at him sadly, truly feeling regretful for him.

"DAMNIT!" His twin shouted before storming away, leaving the warehouse, the large door banging shut behind him but not before Kuroko saw him pull something out of his pocket.

Kuroko blinked a few times, trying to clear the black dots that clouded his vision, feeling oddly sleepy and cold all of the sudden. It was just as well that this ended this way anyway. Even if he had lived then he would have to go back to Haizaki.

Kirisaki was disbanded with Hanamiya dead so Akashi should be safe. He would be okay. He believed his twin when he said that he wouldn't harm Akashi. He had saved his twin's life, giving back the life he had taken away.

It was fine.

Kuroko coughed up a little bit of blood and he closed his eyes as he gave in to his exhaustion. He was just so tired. He could go to sleep now. He had no regrets right?

No...

He had one.

He had a selfish wish.

He wanted to see Akashi one last time.

Kuroko's eyes opened once more, full of determination as he struggled to flip his body onto his stomach, crying out when he landed on the bullet wounds, and began to crawl towards the staircase which luckily he wasn't too far from.

He used his elbows to drag his weak body along the floor, a huge trail of blood following him, his legs clumsily moving to aid him.

Inch by agonizing inch, Kuroko came closer and closer until he reached the first stair. He felt like resting, the urge to just close his eyes, just for a few moments, almost overwhelming but he refused to give in, knowing if he stopped he wouldn't be able to go again.

He grabbed onto the stairs and began to climb up them. It was the hardest thing he ever had to do and he quite frankly had to thank Haizaki for all his brutality that taught him endurance. To keep going even though his body didn't want to cooperate.

Stair by stair, Kuroko dragged his sluggish body up, his eyes trained on the door at the top, sensing that Akashi was just behind it.

He could do this.

Kuroko was downright wheezing by the time he reached the time he reached door and he forced himself up, leaning against the door for support, before twisting the doorknob, gasping in relief when he found it unlocked.

The door swung open and he fell back on the ground with a cry of pain. He curled slightly, tears blurring his vision even more, taking uneven breaths as he tried to get his bearings. He coughed and more blood came out but he ignored it in favor of looking around what looked like an office.

In the middle was Akashi, tied to a wooden chair and blindfolded, not looking too harmed. His head was turned towards Kuroko, his lips drawn down in a frown and Kuroko gasped for air lightly.

He had seen Akashi but it wasn't enough. He wanted to look into mismatched eyes just one last time. It was a selfish because he knew Akashi would have to watch him die but...

Kuroko took deep breathes, pain now blossoming through his chest as his body was becoming less numb, and he forced himself forward. If he could get up stairs he could make it the few feet to Akashi.

Soon he was behind the chair, his hands untying the ropes, slightly hindered by the blood coating his hands, not having the energy to speak when Akashi experimentally said his name. Finally with one last tug, Akashi's hands were free and they flew to the blindfold and tore it off.

"Tetsuya!" Akashi said loudly without any composure as he quickly tore the ropes off his feet and flew towards Kuroko, gently cradling his body. His eyes quickly scanned the room for a phone to call the ambulance but he saw none much to his despair.

He looked down at Kuroko who was smiling at him, a large heartbreaking smile with watery blue eyes. Pure fear ran through Akashi who had never felt it before and he wondered if this was how his mother felt when his father had been killed. He had always felt bitter when it came to her, thinking she was weak, but with Kuroko in his arms, he suddenly understood.

"Tetsuya, stay awake." Akashi ordered when he saw Kuroko's eyes droop. "Kuroko, I order you not to die. That's a direct order Tetsuya Kuroko. Do. Not. Die."

It was the first time the words 'I order' had ever left Akashi's mouth and Kuroko felt shame and regret that he couldn't follow his first actual order. He raised a hand and cupped Akashi's face, leaving a red imprint as he took a shuddering breath.

"Thank you..." Kuroko whispered and his vision went black as all his strength was finally used up. He felt Akashi's warmth seep into him, enveloping him, comforting him as he felt himself drift off.

"**Tetsuya!"**


	22. Chapter 22

Wonderfully beta'd by AokazuSei

* * *

><p>"Hurry, get him into the ambulance!"<p>

"How did you know to come here?"

"Someone called it in!"

"Get the blood transfusions going!"

"We're losing him!"

"I'm coming with him."

"Sir, are you related to him?"

"I am Akashi Seijuro. I can have everyone here fired with a snap of my fingers and ensure no one here will ever have a job in the medical career again; now you will let me ride in the ambulance with him or I'll buy the hospital you work at and fire you all."

"Just hurry up we have no time to lose!"

"He stopped breathing!"

* * *

><p>Kuroko looked around the beach, a small frown tugging at his lips, his feet digging into the warm sand underneath his bare feet. He vaguely felt like he was forgetting something.<p>

* * *

><p>"He's breathing again."<p>

"We're almost at the hospital. Keep pressure on those wounds."

"**Keep breathing Tetsuya."**

"I don't know if this kid will make it to the hospital, he lost too much blood."

"**If I hear you say that one more time, I will personally make sure **_**you**_** don't make it back to the hospital."**

"..."

* * *

><p>Kuroko began walking toward the ocean, watching as faceless people ran around him, laughing, talking amongst themselves, looking happy.<p>

He saw the sun beginning to set, although the sun looked really bright and white. It also looked a lot closer than usual, as if Kuroko could reach it if he walked towards it. It beckoned to him, cajoled him to come closer, and promised him happiness and comfort.

* * *

><p>"We need to get him into surgery."<p>

"I'm sorry sir, but we can't let you come."

"**If he dies, it will be on you,** **and trust me when I say there will be dire consequences that will ensure your stay at the hospital permanently**."

"Come on! Get him to the surgery room ASAP!"

"Okay, one, two, three! Alright, let's get him hooked up!"

**Beep. Beep. Beep.**

**BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP**

"We're losing him again!"

* * *

><p>The water looked so inviting. Kuroko had a vague feeling that he shouldn't walk any closer to it, but he just couldn't place why. Surely a small dip wouldn't hurt, but why did he feel like he was forgetting something important?<p>

"_Tetsuya_."

* * *

><p>"I can't get his heart beating!"<p>

"Keep trying or the lunatic outside will kill us all!"

"Come on buddy, you can do this. Just hold on. Come on."

* * *

><p>"Mama?" Kuroko whispered as he stared at the woman in front of him. She looked just like she did in his memories. Her long soft dark blue hair framed her face, almost like Kuroko's, except in a darker hue. She wore a long flowing white dress that dragged across the sand as she approached Kuroko with open arms. She looked like a beautiful angel.<p>

He immediately ran up to her and hugged her tightly, sniffling ever so slightly when he felt her hands gently stroke his back, and her mouth kissing his head lovingly and nostalgically.

"Oh, Tetsuya, I'm so proud of you. I've watched over both you and Chihiro." She whispered softly, and Kuroko looked up at her in surprise and wariness. If she watched over him, then she must have known what he had done. How could she stand to touch him?

"I'm sorry, Mama." He said, and she shook her head and put a slender finger against his lips with a small reassuring smile on her face.

"You survived the only way you could Tetsuya. _You survived_." She said softly, and Kuroko felt tears run down his cheeks, hardly believing that his mother wasn't ashamed of him. He felt a large part of his guilt he kept buried inside him dissipate. "You even died for your twin. And no matter what you were forced to do, you are still my little Tetsuya."

"Will I be staying with you Mama?" Kuroko asked, and she gave him a troubled look as she cupped his face with her hands, her eyes peering into his with deadly seriousness.

"That's up to you. You can be truly happy if you stay with me. Anything you ever wanted will come true. You can have everything you want." She whispered softly as her eyes flitted to the ocean before looking at Kuroko seriously. "But, are you sure that's what you want?"

**Tetsuya.**

Kuroko jolted, his eyes widening as he looked around, backing away from his mother. What was that? Why did his chest suddenly hurt? Why was his heart beating faster? What was this longing in him?

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" His mother asked sadly with a wistful smile, dropping her hands. "Don't you have someone to return to?"

**Tetsuya.**

"I don't..." Images flitted through his mind, but it was too fast he could grasp them. What was he forgetting? Why were familiar words whispering in his ear? What was he forgetting? Who was he forgetting?

Kuroko gripped his head with his hands as his breathing quickened his eyes scanning the ground for some reason. And then, they landed upon a red seashell, lying innocently by his feet. Kuroko fell to his knees and picked it up with shaky hands.

Warmth filled him from the inside out, and Kuroko hugged the seashell to his chest as he remembered who he had been forgetting.

"He brought me to the beach Mama, I found this shell to remember." Kuroko explained with a wavering voice, and his mother crouched down beside him. "I forgot about him. I can't...How could I forget about him?"

"This place has a way of making you forget those who are important to you." His mother said sadly, and Kuroko looked at her with tear-filled eyes. "It's to help those who have left something behind, but you don't truly belong here, so you can leave."

**Tetsuya.**

"He's calling for you. He's waiting for you to go back, but you have to make a choice. Do you want to stay or go back?" Kuroko lunged forward and hugged his mother tightly, already knowing his decision but hating that he would have to leave her.

"I'll miss you." Kuroko whispered, and she chuckled as she gripped him tightly to her. He felt tears wetting his hair as she buried her head into his.

"My son, I'm so proud of you. I'll still watch over you, and someday, a day far from now, we'll be back together again. We'll go to the sun with everyone." His mother reluctantly let him go, tears dripping from her eyes but a smile on her face as she stepped back from him.

Kuroko clenched the red shell tightly in his hand, the shade of red reminding him so much of Akashi, and he closed his eyes. More warmth radiated inside him, and he felt himself float away, hearing his mother singing to him one last time.

* * *

><p><strong>Beep. Beep. Beep. <strong>

Kuroko's nose wrinkled as that awful disinfectant smell entered it. His heavy eyes clenched slightly before opening slowly, his blue eyes wavering as they tried to focus on his surroundings.

He was back in the hospital again, and he was hooked up to a machine that continually beeped, a screen with a moving line appearing with each chirp. He was also hooked up to a needle that was connected to a bag by a long clear tube, the liquid in the bag dripping through the tube and into him.

His entire body felt heavy, and there was a slight ache that permeated through it, but it was easily ignorable. Everything was easily ignorable when he noticed Akashi sitting right beside his bed, his hands clenching Kuroko's tightly, his head bowed with his eyes closed, although it was obvious he wasn't sleeping.

Akashi brought Kuroko's hand up to his mouth, and he pressed his lips gently against it and kept them there. He breathed in deeply, as if trying to catch Kuroko's scent, and his eyes clenched closed even tighter. If Kuroko concentrated, he could feel his hands shaking ever so slightly.

"Ah..." Kuroko failed to say Akashi's name, his tongue not cooperating, but it didn't matter. Akashi's eyes snapped open, and suddenly, he was kissing Kuroko. It wasn't a neat controlled kiss that Kuroko was accustomed to. It was desperate and sloppy and wet and overwhelming, which was uncharacteristic of the redhead. Kuroko couldn't kiss back properly, and it took everything he could to keep breathing, but Akashi didn't care in the least.

Suddenly, he broke the kiss, and he looked at Kuroko in complete rage making the boy flinch slightly as mismatched eyes practically glowed in seething anger. It was the first time that look had ever been directed at him.

"Do you have any idea how many times you died?" Akashi said lowly, his tone quiet yet so full of danger. Kuroko meekly shook his head, and Akashi growled. "You stopped breathing four times. _Four times. _At one point, you stopped breathing for five whole minutes, Tetsuya."

"Ah'me..." Kuroko tried to apologize, but his tongue still wouldn't cooperate, and he began to panic, not understanding what was wrong with him.

"They gave you a sedative, so you won't feel the pain. You'll be pretty out of it for a while." Akashi explained quickly when he saw Kuroko's eyes widening in slight fear. He clenched the blankets on top of Kuroko when he settled back down. "I ordered you to not die. And yet, you disobeyed me four times Tetsuya!"

Akashi breathed heavily, his eyes hard, before he suddenly relaxed and collapsed back into his chair tiredly. Kuroko noticed the dark bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. He grabbed Kuroko's hand again and squeezed it tightly.

"You stupid, stupid, boy. Breaking into Kirisaki territory all by yourself, sneaking out of the hospital to do so, not asking for help, and then disobeying me." The hands squeezing Kuroko's was almost painful, but Kuroko just looked at Akashi calmly. "I was scared Tetsuya. I thought I lost you. I did lose you."

Kuroko tried to talk again, but Akashi shushed him by kissing him again, a slow languid kiss that had Kuroko softly moaning. He wished he had the strength in his arms, so he could wrap them around Akashi's neck to keep him there.

When Akashi pulled back, leaving swollen red lips behind, he just gazed into Kuroko's eyes as he gently stroked his hair and caressed his face. Kuroko tried to keep his eyes on Akashi's but his eyelids began drooping and exhaustion threatened to slip him from consciousness.

"Go to sleep Tetsuya, I will be here when you wake up." Akashi said softly as he began to pull away, but Kuroko managed to curl clumsy fingers into his shirt, trying to convey how much he needed Akashi's warmth right now.

The redhead hesitated before he carefully, oh so carefully, as if Kuroko was made of glass, began to shift the smaller boy to the side of the bed. Once he made sure Kuroko was comfortable, he slipped in beside him, not pressing against him like Kuroko wanted but lying close enough that Kuroko could feel his body heat.

"Go to sleep." Akashi repeated softly, and Kuroko closed his eyes and drifted off.

* * *

><p>The next few days Kuroko spent drifting in and out of sleep, but whenever he woke up, no matter what the hour was, he was never alone. Apparently Akashi had threatened the entire hospital , so they allowed people to stay with Kuroko all night long as well as the day.<p>

It was usually Akashi by his side, but sometimes, it was Kise and Aomine, who had yelled at him for leaving and doing what he did all alone, once or twice it was Momoi, who peeled him an apple he couldn't eat, Midorima had come by at one point to give him books if he ever stayed up long enough to get bored, Nijimura stayed with him one night, and Murasakibara never visited, but he did send an assortment of food to Kuroko, even though he knew that Kuroko didn't have that much strength to eat solid food.

Kuroko didn't mention it, but every so often, when Akashi wasn't there, and Kuroko was dozing, he could swear he felt eyes watching him, but when he opened his eyes, no one was there, but curiously, his curtains would sway as if someone just left.

Also, there were always a few nurses nearby, mostly because he had caused a lot of panic the last time he had left the hospital on his own, but also because they were scared of Akashi. Apparently, the entire hospital was.

His wounds were healing nicely. The bullet had just missed his lungs, which was why he was still alive. He would have a nice new scar to add to his collection, but Kuroko didn't mind.

"There's going to be a feast when you get home. Atsushi has already planned everything to make, and he wants to make you a vanilla milkshake every day for an entire year. Personally, I'm considering not letting you drink one for a year as punishment for your foolishness."

Kuroko pouted lightly even as his eyes drooped sleepily, Akashi stroking his hair and pressing light kisses on his cheeks every so often. It was like this whenever Akashi was by his side; he would touch Kuroko, either by holding his hand, kissing, stroking his hair, or face, as if to reassure himself that Kuroko was still there.

"They'll be lowering your pain medication soon, so you'll be awake more often." Akashi said, and Kuroko nodded in understanding. "Personally, I feel that we can take care of you at home, but the hospital insists that you stay."

"I would like to go home." Kuroko said hoarsely, and Akashi gave him a tender look as he placed a kiss on Kuroko's temple.

"Soon. I'll make sure you're released soon." Akashi promised, and Kuroko gave him a smile which the redhead kissed. "Your dog misses you. He keeps barking unless I'm near him."

"I miss Nigou as well." Kuroko admitted and blinked when Akashi touched the scar around his neck.

"Where did the present I gave you go?" Akashi asked, and Kuroko fought back a wince, hardly able to say it was on Haizaki's floor, not knowing how to admit such a thing. He was trying to forget about the deal between him and Haizaki, at least, until he was out of the hospital.

"I'm unsure." Kuroko replied shortly, and Akashi's eyes narrowed, but he merely pressed another kiss on Kuroko's neck.

"Perhaps, I'll get you another one then." Akashi murmured, and Kuroko nodded sleepily. "Get some rest. I'm going to go get some food, but I'll be right back in a few minutes."

"Okay Akashi." Kuroko mumbled, and Akashi ran his hand through Kuroko's hair one last time, kissed his forehead, then left.

Kuroko nuzzled his pillow, a pillow Akashi had brought in himself because he felt the hospital pillows weren't comfy enough, and sighed contently as he closed his eyes but unwilling to fall asleep quite yet until Akashi returned.

He heard the curtains move, and Kuroko opened his eyes and smiled, thinking that it was Akashi returning despite it being unrealistically quick but froze when instead, he saw Haizaki, smirking at him triumphantly.

* * *

><p>Akashi knew something was wrong the instant he returned to Kuroko's room. The nurses were running back and forth frantically, scanning the hall in near panic. One nurse even screamed in terror when she saw Akashi. Generally a bad sign.<p>

He stormed into the room and ripped open he curtains around Kuroko's bed and snarled angrily when he saw an empty bed. For a few seconds he just stood there, the nurses looking at him warily, and he looked deceptively calm, but then, he spun around and grabbed one of them by the arm painfully.

"You are going to tell me what happened or I swear by every deity out there, I will make you disappear just as he has." Akashi said, his voice completely calmed and level, which for some reason made it so much scarier.

The nurse he held by the arm kept opening and closing her mouth, doing an impressive impersonation of a fish, so another nurse decided to answer for her, probably saving her life in doing so.

"We don't know." She said and to her credit she didn't stammer, although her voice wavered. "We saw a man walking out of the room holding out his arms weirdly, but Kuroko-san wasn't with him. However when we checked, he was gone."

Akashi let go of the nurse, who immediately stepped back and rubbed her arm. He closed his eyes as his mind analyzing the information carefully.

"Describe the man to me." Akashi ordered.

"Tall, somewhat muscular, grey hair and eyes." The nurse listed off, and Akashi's eyes snapped open, the look on his face making the nurses flinch.

It could only be Haizaki; the only other person who somewhat fit the description was Mayuzumi, but he was anything but muscular and tall. Which begged the question, why did Kuroko willing go with him? He must have used his ability so that Haizaki wouldn't be seen with him, but why?

Well, Akashi was going to ask Kuroko himself.

* * *

><p>Kuroko coughed weakly as he was thrown into his cage without any consideration for his delicate wounds, watching in complete despair as the cage door closed and locked. He had spent years just like this, and yet, being here now was so heart wrenchingly painful.<p>

The cold cage floor sent icy chills down his spine, and the bars around him seemed even more constricting than before. He felt an animalistic urge to just grab them and break them, to try to break free.

Instead, he curled up into a ball, shivering since Haizaki hadn't even let him change out of his thin hospital gown. He closed his eyes, trying to envision Akashi's warmth around him.

He wasn't back in the same building as before. Haizaki had chosen a new location far away in case Akashi tried to find him, which was a smart move on his part, but it filled Kuroko with agonizing emptiness at the thought of never seeing Akashi again.

Perhaps...

Perhaps coming back was a mistake.

Kuroko had nothing of Akashi anymore except for the brand on the back of his neck, which Haizaki muttered something about getting rid of, but he couldn't possibly do that. It was etched into his skin forever.

Kuroko sighed as he watched Haizaki talking on the phone with a pleased triumphant grin. As soon as the pain medication coursing through his veins, which made him sluggish, was out of his system, he would be sent out to get unpaid loans or kill again, back to the same old routine.

Kuroko looked up as Haizaki crouched in front of the cage, studying carefully, with an unusually focused look. Whatever he saw, it displeased him, since the look faded away to a dark scowl as he smacked the cage bars with a fist.

"He's ruined you, the damn brat!" Haizaki snarled. "You were a perfect little dog, and now look at ya. Well, I'll fix you right up, just watch."

Kuroko warily watched him, his hand unconsciously touching the back of his neck where his tattoo was, only pausing when he saw Haizaki glare at his action. Then, an ugly smirk spread across his face as he slipped his hand into his pocket. Kuroko flinched when he pulled out a frayed dirty white collar.

"I saved this from your twin. Since I lost your black one, this should do right?" Kuroko tried to scoot away when the door of his cage open, his eyes wide in panic, his mouth silently forming pleading no's as he shook his head, but Haizaki easily overpowered him, and the white collar was snapped around his neck.

Kuroko's entire began to shake as he began to hyperventilate, his fingers clumsily trying to get the collar of his neck, but his drug addled body hindered him. Haizaki smacked Kuroko in the face, sending him flying to the other side, hitting the bars cruelly, but it helped Kuroko grasp his bearings again.

Kuroko grasped the back of his neck, his fingers digging into his tattoo, the only thing anchoring him now. No, he couldn't go back to the way he was before. He just couldn't. Akashi wouldn't want him to. He couldn't do this. He thought he could, but he couldn't.

Haizaki snarled, and he hooked two fingers under the collar and began dragging Kuroko out of the cage. The boy tried to struggle, but it was to no avail. Haizaki dragged him out of the room, down the hallway, and into another room that look like a meeting room, situated with a long table and comfy chairs. On one side was a crackling fire in a modern looking fireplace.

Haizaki lifted Kuroko by the collar, chocking him momentarily, before dropping him face down on the table and walking to the fireplace. Kuroko coughed as pain blossomed across his chest, but the painkillers immediately took the edge off.

He watched with dawning horror as Haizaki took a large hooked fire iron and held the end in the fire, waiting for it to heat up, making the iron burn red. Surely, he couldn't be planning to...

No, not even Haizaki was that cruel.

At least, Kuroko had hoped, but after a few minutes, Haizaki approached him, the fire iron red from heat, and to his utter horror, he saw the end come closer and closer, Haizaki's other hand on his head, so he couldn't move away.

"P-p—please...N-no..." Kuroko whimpered softly, tears welling up in his eyes and fingers scratching the table's surface as he tried to escape. "I'll do whatever you say, just please, don't take this away from me."

Haizaki ignored him, and the iron was inches away from his neck, when suddenly, Haizaki was flying across the room. Kuroko gasped in relief only to gasp again for an entirely different reason, his twin looking at Haizaki with unconcealed rage.

Behind him was Akashi with, much to everyone's surprise and horror, a long sharp katana in his hands, an absolutely demonic look on his face. He was smiling, which somehow just made it so much worse.

"Akashi...Chihiro..." Kuroko mumbled as he forced himself to sit, but he swayed dangerously and would have fallen if the two of them hadn't darted to his side at the same time, shooting each other glares.

"What the fuck are you two doing here? How did you find me?" Haizaki snarled as he raised the cooling iron in his hands threateningly. The two looked at him dangerously.

"You have a lot of guts to take what is mine." Akashi said as he twirled his katana dangerously before pointing it at Haizaki, but Mayuzumi kicked it with his foot, which had them going for another round of fierce glares.

"I think Tetsuya and I should be the ones to kill him don't you think?" Mayuzumi challenged, and Akashi's eyes glinted. Kuroko just looked between them in a bit of a daze, not completely understanding what was going on, but mostly confused as to what his twin, of all people, was doing here. Was this perhaps a hallucination? No...It felt too real for that...

"He's hardly in the condition to kill him." Akashi retorted, and Mayuzumi scoffed.

"That's why I'll do it for the both of us." Mayuzumi said, and Akashi turned his blade, so it reflected the overhead light as if to remind Mayuzumi of its presence.

"I think I can fill in his role well enough." Akashi said confidently.

Haizaki tried to run away, but a daring look from the two of them had him freezing in fear, feeling the killing intent and bloodlust that rolled off of them in storming waves.

"Look, you'll kill him with that thing. He doesn't deserve a quick death!" Mayuzumi said angrily, and this time, Akashi paused consideringly. With a shrug, he laid the sword by Kuroko before he looked at Mayuzumi who looked back at him steadily, almost as if silently conversation between themselves, before they both simultaneously looked at Haizaki.

"I'm going to enjoy this." Mayuzumi said with a smirk, and Akashi cracked his knuckles as they advanced toward Haizaki, who seemed to finally realize that he was in deep trouble. He swung the iron, but Akashi easily grabbed it, and Mayuzumi slammed a foot right against Haizaki's shoulder which dislodged with a loud pop.

Without any hesitation, they began beating him up without mercy, aiming for the spots that would hurt him the most, kicking and punching viciously, at one point passing him to each other like a morbid game of catch.

Kuroko was stunned as he watched his previous master get beaten up, not feeling an inch of loyalty or the need to defend him as he would if it was Akashi. No, Haizaki was no longer his master, even with the deal he had made.

He was completely emotionless as he heard bones breaking and blood spewing from Haizaki's mouth, uncaring that, if it continued, he would die. Bruises marred Haizaki's body, and he tried to fight back despite having one of his arms broken in three different places, but he wasn't even to land one blow. He was completely powerless.

Suddenly, Haizaki's blackening eyes landed on Kuroko, and he sneered, a twisted grin on his face, blood covering his yellow teeth.

"Kuroko, kill them." Haizaki ordered loudly. "You killed your precious twin. If you can do it once, you can do it again!"

At first, Kuroko just stared at him vacantly before something sparked in his eyes as he grabbed Akashi's katana. His twin took a step back, dropping into a defensive stance to ward him off in case he attacked while Akashi just stood there confidently, knowing Kuroko would never attack him.

A triumphant look spread across Haizaki's face as Kuroko neared them, his head bowed down, hair hiding his expression. He stopped in front of the three who watched him carefully, and Haizaki snarled in impatience.

"What are you waiting for?! KILL THEM!" Haizaki roared only to freeze with his mouth wide open when Kuroko plunged the blade into his chest, twisting the blade cruelly to widen the wound. As Haizaki gurgled blood, Kuroko kneeled down and faced Haizaki, his face contorted into a fierce glare, his eyes as bright as blue fire.

"I am not your dog." Kuroko snarled just before Haizaki's eyes dulled, and his chest stopped moving. Kuroko tore the katana out of Haizaki, passing it to Akashi before reaching behind his neck, and after some clumsy attempts, he was able to snap off the collar, the two beside him glaring at the offending item.

Kuroko leaned over to the fallen body and snapped the collar on Haizaki's neck. And once he did that, Kuroko felt as if something heavy had been lifted off of him. Warm arms curled around him, and Kuroko leaned into the offered comfort.

Mayuzumi looked at his brother, content in Akashi's arms, and felt a wave of confusing emotions pass through him. Jealousy that his brother no longer needed him, regret for all he did, relief that Haizaki was dead and that his brother didn't betray him again, and self-loathing for all that he did. It was all so confusing with the onslaught of emotions attacking him.

Kuroko looked up when he sensed Mayuzumi moving, and he watched with despair as his twin began leaving. He tried to scramble after him, but Akashi held him tightly. It had taken everything in him not to kill Mayuzumi, who had been the one to approach him, to tell him he knew where Kuroko was. It was only because of that, Akashi was allowing him to live...For now.

"Chihiro." Kuroko called out, and his twin gave him an odd look, his eyes strangely watery, before he left the room. Kuroko dropped the hand that had been reaching for his twin, and instead, he hugged one of Akashi's arms, burying his head into his chest and listened to the hushed comforting words whispered in his ear.

"It's over now Tetsuya. He's dead, and you're no one's dog. You beat him." Akashi murmured, and Kuroko smiled as he leaned up and kissed Akashi who kissed him back, tears leaking out of his eyes and running down his cheeks and warm hands tenderly wiped them away.

When they broke apart, Akashi lifted Kuroko up bridal style and began to leave the building, Kuroko pressing his ear against Akashi's chest, so he could hear his heart beating. He was with Akashi now, and nothing was left to stand between them.

He had beaten Haizaki with his own will and hands. Never again would he wear a collar or be trapped in a cage.

He was free.


	23. Chapter 23

This is everything, all reposted. Sorry for taking this story down in the first place and I hope that you guys enjoy it

Warning: Lemon, first lemon every written

unbeta'd

* * *

><p>Kuroko took a deep breath as he walked across the stone wall separating the beach and sidewalk of the street, taking in the salty air with a small smile, his hands spread outward for balance in reminiscence of doing the same thing when he was a kid, his eyes open and unguarded.<p>

The waves lapped at the shore with a reassuring sound and the sky glowed as the sun was beginning to set. Kuroko sat down the on the stone wall and his feet dug into the sand at the bottom, leaning back in contentment.

He was wearing Teiko's uniform, a blue choker around his neck, the exact duplicate of the one Haizaki had taken from him. On his back in addition to the Teiko tattoo was a large phoenix in flight, one of its fiery wings wrapping around his shoulder and the other around his hip and it's long feathery tail wrapped around his other hip; a symbol of rebirth. It couldn't be seen with his shirt on but it comforted him just to know it was there. Akashi had been the one to tattoo him, willingly kneeling for hours to completely ink it.

A cold breeze flew past him and he closed his eyes, opening them to look at the sunset as someone sat beside him. The person sat close to him, their arms nearly touching, and Kuroko smiled softly, not having to look to know who it was.

"Just like we promised." Kuroko whispered and Mayuzumi nodded as he also watched the sunset.

"How did you know I was by our old home?" Mayuzumi asked and Kuroko shrugged.

"I'll always find you. We're connected because we're twins." Kuroko said and Mayuzumi snorted as his own words were thrown back at him.

"I'm surprised you wanted to see me at all." Mayuzumi said bitterly and Kuroko gave him a sidelong look before sighing.

"I'm tired of the distance between us. We both did things we're not proud of but in the end it was all because of Haizaki and I'm tired of all the damage he's caused. We're free now." Kuroko said with a flourish of his hand and Mayuzumi nodded slowly. "We're twins Chihiro, we're brothers, and I don't want us hating each other. We've already wasted so much time doing that."

"I don't hate you...I'm...I'm not sure if I ever truly did. I was so angry and I felt betrayed and when Hanamiya found me all he did was whisper in my ear about how much I should seek revenge and I just...I couldn't disagree.

It was supposed to end when you were dead. I was supposed to feel free and this empty feeling in my chest would leave. But then you were dying and...I realized that I didn't want you dead. That you weren't a monster that I had been convinced you had become."

"You were the one to call an ambulance." Kuroko guessed and Mayuzumi nodded in confirmation. "You also got Akashi and came and saved me again."

"I...I had always kept an eye on Haizaki. I was still too much of a coward to go after him myself but I was too scared to not know what he was doing at all times. So I knew where he would bring you." Mayuzumi explained and Kuroko nodded.

They fell silent as the sun slowly disappeared over the horizon, the sky darkening, the ocean water reflecting the glowing light. Kuroko leaned against Mayuzumi and his hand grabbed his, exactly like how they used to sit. At first Mayuzumi stiffened but he slowly began to relax, squeezing the smaller hand in his.

"We're free Chihiro." Kuroko whispered and his twin chuckled, his eyes a little wet but no tears fell, his pride prevented it.

"I don't know what to do with myself." Mayuzumi admitted bitterly. "I was hoping to get answers if I came back here but I still feel lost."

"Come back with me, I'm sure Akashi will accept you if I talk to him." Kuroko pleaded but Mayuzumi shook his head with a small sad smile as he looked into Kuroko's eyes.

"I don't belong there and you know that. I will find my own way in life." Mayuzumi reassured and Kuroko worried his lip with his teeth. "I won't disappear, if you ever need me I'll find you."

"Promise?" Kuroko said as he held out his pinkie finger and Mayuzumi chuckled as he looped his own with Kuroko's.

"Promise."

* * *

><p>"I'm home." Kuroko called as he entered the house, Nigou barking by his feet, and Akashi walked over to him and kissed his cheek and hugged him tightly.<p>

"Welcome home." Akashi whispered before stepping back. "How was your journey to see your twin?"

"Akashi asks that like he didn't have men following me and reporting to him." Kuroko said bluntly as he quirked an eyebrow, a habit he picked up from Akashi and the redhead smirked as he ruffled Kuroko's hair causing him to pout petulantly.

"Like I would trust you with Chihiro all by yourself." Akashi said and Kuroko's pout grew as he walked to their bedroom.

"He wouldn't hurt me, not again." Kuroko said and Akashi scoffed slightly.

"Because he didn't try to kill you already." Akashi said wryly and shook his head. "Either way, I'm glad you're safe."

"Of course I am, I have Akashi after all." Kuroko responded as they both entered the room, Akashi closing the door shut behind him before Nigou could enter.

"Yes but you have a habit of getting into trouble. I left you alone for a mere ten minutes and you got kidnapped." Akashi quipped and Kuroko gave him a sheepish look.

The redhead shook his head before enveloping Kuroko in his arms and kissing him deeply and sensually. Kuroko moaned languidly as he wrapped his arms around Akashi's neck to bring him even closer, standing on his tiptoes for more leverage.

Akashi's hand slipped under Kuroko's shirt, stroking the skin upward before clawing his back, making Kuroko arch into him with a small gasp. Akashi's hands slid downward, cupping Kuroko's butt and lifting him up, the boy automatically wrapping his legs around Akashi's waist as the redhead carried and dropped him onto the futon with him on top of Kuroko, all without breaking the kiss.

Akashi broke the kiss, a trail of saliva connecting their lips, both panting lightly, a smirk on Akashi's lips and a blush appearing Kuroko's cheeks.

Akashi's hands slid to Kuroko shirt and pulled it off, kissing the expanse of skin revealed as Kuroko panted and moaned, his breath hitching and a keen bubbling out of his throat when Akashi sucked on his hardening nipples.

"_Akashi_." Kuroko breathed and he tugged on Akashi's kimono, wanting it off. The redhead smirked as he straddled Kuroko's hips, grinding slight which elicited a startled gasp from the male under him, before he slowly began to slide the kimono off his torso, letting it pool down around his waist.

Kuroko sat up and began kissing Akashi once more, his eyes glazed with lust, and they both shifted their position so Kuroko was straddling Akashi's lap, both of them grinding their clothed erections against each other's.

Their teeth clack together as they fought for dominance with their tongues, Kuroko tugging on red locks while Akashi added red lines with his nails against still sensitive skin from the tattoo, making Kuroko arch into him and fight back moans.

The broke apart for air and Akashi immediately tore Kuroko's pants off of him, a pleased look when he saw Kuroko had chosen not to wear underwear before he tore off his kimono completely, also having chosen to go commando.

Once more Kuroko settled onto Akashi's lap and he gasped and moaned when Akashi grasped their cocks together with a hand, his head leaning back and Akashi leaning forward to mark his neck with dark possessive marks.

Kuroko bucked into Akashi's firm hold and his eyes rolled back as Akashi stroked their cocks firmly together in an almost unbearable grip, setting a quick pace, occasionally swiping a thumb across Kuroko's slit.

If Akashi kept it up then he would cum soon, he already felt a warm heat spreading in his navel, and Kuroko didn't want too quite yet. He placed his smaller hand on Akashi's, stopping him, and he looked into mismatched eyes seriously, his mouth so close to Akashi's that their panted breathes mixed together.

"I want more." Kuroko said huskily and felt Akashi's erection twitch against his as his eyes widened at the implication.

"Are you sure Tetsuya?" Akashi asked imploringly, searching Kuroko's eyes for any uncertainty and Kuroko nodded.

"If it's Akashi then I want to do it." Kuroko said and Akashi practically purred as he kissed Kuroko in a slow sensual kiss, his hand sliding up their erections and rolling precum on his fingers, coating them as much as he could before sliding his hand around Kuroko.

Heterochromatic eyes stared into hazy blue eyes as he began to toy with Kuroko's entrance, waiting to see any hesitation and continuing when Kuroko gave him a reassuring smile. Akashi pushed a finger in slowly and Kuroko leaned his forehead against Akashi's, his legs twitching slightly and his breath hitching.

He wasn't a virgin but he hadn't had sex for a long time so the feeling was almost foreign to him. He began to slowly thrust his cock against Akashi's, pushing his hips back and forth, the finger slowly slithering deeper into him.

"Ah..." Kuroko breathed out noisily, trying to relax his muscles but they still twitched around the finger. A second finger began worming its way inside him and Kuroko softly gasped, squeezing his eyes closed at the slight sting.

"Keep your eyes open." Akashi ordered huskily and Kuroko obediently reopened them, staring back in Akashi's eyes. The redhead drank in Kuroko's expression, the half lidded hazy cerulean eyes that held nothing but pure trust, the dark red cheeks, the beads of sweat appearing on his brow, his red slightly swollen wet lips that were open as Kuroko panted deliciously.

It was hard for the redhead to keep going slowly when all he wanted was to fuck Kuroko into the futon but he wanted their first time to be special. So he took his time. He scissored his fingers around Kuroko's hole, stretching the muscles while rubbing at the walls, looking for something.

"Ah! Akashi!" Kuroko gasped rather loudly as his muscles clenched tightly around Akashi's fingers, his back bowing slightly as he thrust backwards into Akashi's hand.

"Found it." Akashi whispered smugly as he began to press his fingers against Kuroko's prostate ruthlessly, rubbing and prodding it mercilessly, Kuroko whining and moaning loudly, thrusting his hips vigorously, trying to get more of the fingers into him whilst thrusting his cock against Akashi's.

Kuroko couldn't hold back the sounds ripping out of his throat, the pleasure was too intense and his body was moving on its own. His eyes rolled back as Akashi began nibbling on one of his ears, a third finger joining the other two inside of him, and Akashi's free hand wrapping around their cocks once more.

"No! Too much! Stop!" Kuroko begged as he clenched Akashi's shoulders in a painful grip, his eyes tearing slightly at the sharp unbearable pleasure coursing through him, feeling something begin to coil inside him.

"Don't you want to cum?" Akashi whispered, his breath tickling Kuroko's ear.

"No, not yet!" Kuroko cried. "I...Ah!..Want you inside me."

Suddenly the pleasure stopped, making Kuroko unwilling whine as the fingers left his hole and Akashi leaned back, placing both his hands on Kuroko's hips.

Knowing what Akashi wanted to do, Kuroko placed his hands firmly on Akashi's shoulders and lifted himself up slightly, going over Akashi's erection and slowly sinking down onto it, a whimper leaving his lips as it began to enter him.

It stretched him and despite the preparation it was still slightly painful. The hands on his hips kept him balanced, not forcing him down lower, giving him support as he slowly sank lower and lower, the girth of Akashi's cock stretching him wide.

Kuroko pressed his face into Akashi's shoulder, trying to supress soft cries and pained gasps, Akashi soothingly rubbing circles on Kuroko's hips. He could hear Akashi's soft moans as his erection was slowly encased in heat but the redhead didn't buck into Kuroko at all, keeping his composure even though his muscles stiffened in the effort to stay still.

Kuroko managed to sink all the way down and he stayed still, trying to adjust to the painfully full feeling inside of him, one of Akashi's hands rubbing his cock to distract him. Minutes went by as Kuroko heavily breathed into Akashi's shoulder before he cautiously lifted himself and lowered himself experimentally, a gasp escaping both of them.

Using his hands on Akashi's shoulders as leverage, Kuroko began a slow rhythm of lifting and lowering himself on Akashi's cock, the pain dissipating slowly as pleasure began to set in.

Akashi placed both of his hands back on Kuroko's hips and assisted him, twitching slightly as he fought against the animalistic urge to just throw Kuroko onto his back and thrust into him with all his strength. It felt so good, the walls around his member twitching and tightening then relaxing around him, the friction of Kuroko's thrusts.

"Tetsuya." Akashi whispered huskily and Kuroko began to lift himself higher and higher while speeding up his thrusts, moaning as the pain almost disappeared completely. Akashi's cock lightly rubbed against his prostate making pleasurable sparks travel through him.

Soon he set up a quick short pace as he tried to get more of Akashi who was outright moaning, not bothering to hide his reaction to the pleasure Kuroko was giving him. The hands around his hips began slamming him down on Akashi's erection with more force, bringing it even deeper inside of Kuroko.

Teeth ruthlessly bit everywhere they could reach, sometimes slightly breaking skin and the pain just mixed in with the pleasure Kuroko was experiencing, heightening it, and making it more intense but it wasn't enough.

Kuroko whined pitifully and Akashi growled predatorily as he forced Kuroko to lie down on his back and he began thrusting his hips punishably into Kuroko's with loud slaps as their skin hit each other. Kuroko let out a sound between a shout and a scream as Akashi hit his prostate dead on, the pleasure rising to impossible levels.

"Akashi! Please!" Kuroko begged, not even knowing what he wanted, but Akashi began to snap his hips into him even harder, grabbing Kuroko's legs and forcing them up so they were nearly touching Kuroko's chest.

Kuroko tossed his head back and forth trying to dissipate the hazy fog in his head, his hands clenching the sheets under him as he tried to ground himself, his entire body writhing. It was too much. The pleasure kept mounting and Kuroko sobbed at the intensity.

"I can't! Please!" Kuroko cried and Akashi grabbed Kuroko's erection, stroking it with the same punishing pace as his thrusts and Kuroko screamed and arched his back as something snapped and white pleasure ran through him, blacking out his vision and white spurts of cum flew out of his cock, coating both their stomachs.

Akashi grunted and bit into Kuroko's neck viciously, marking it for the last time, as Kuroko's walls clenched around him tightly, the friction forcing Akashi to cum deep inside of Kuroko. He thrust shallowly a few times, riding out his orgasm, before he slowly pulled out, Kuroko's entrance tightening around him as if trying to keep him inside.

They both collapsed tiredly, breathing heavily, their heartbeats racing, as they rested their sweat soaked bodies against each other, their legs tangled with each other's. Kuroko felt sated and content in a way he never did before and they both felt pleasant warmth permeate through their bodies.

Akashi rolled over onto his back, bringing Kuroko to lie on top of him. Kuroko nuzzled his head above Akashi's heart, the sound making him drowsy. Hands massaged his back and lips littered his head with light kisses.

"Tetsuya..." Kuroko looked up at the odd tone and he frowned at the intense look in Akashi's eyes as the redhead seemed to be preparing himself for something. A hand cupped Kuroko's cheek, rubbing it with a thumb. "I can't describe to you how I felt when I thought that you were dying, when you were dead, in my arms."

"I'm..." Kuroko tried to apologize but a finger against his lips stopped him as Akashi shook his head.

"Let me speak." Akashi said softly and Kuroko nodded. "I was scared Tetsuya. Perhaps for the first time in my life I was scared. I always hated my mother for abandoning me. I was saddened by the loss of my father as well but I couldn't understand why she abandoned me.

But when you died, I finally figured it out. The pain inside of me was unbearable as I watched you just die and there was nothing I could do. There was no phone I could use to call for help and by the time I found one it would have been too late so all I could do was cradle you, your blood coating my entire body.

I felt this unbearable emptiness inside of me that was more painful than any physical wound. It threatened to consume me, tear me apart, and destroy me from the inside out. It was almost like I was dead myself.

Then the ambulance came and I had a small bit of hope. The next hours when you were in surgery and I didn't know if you were going to live or not was utter hell and it was everything I could do to not barge in and watch them because your life was in their hands and I did not trust their competency.

Then the doctor came and said that you would live and I nearly fell onto my knees Tetsuya. I can't...I can't really describe the feeling of utter relief that flowed through me.

When I saw you on that hospital bed you looked so small with all those machines hooked up to you and a breathing mask over your face. I never left your side until you woke up. I didn't sleep because I was scared you would die if I wasn't watching over you.

When you opened your eyes again I finally realized what I felt for you. This entire time I didn't really realize it or I did and I just wasn't ready to accept it but now I am.

I, Akashi Seijuro, love you, Kuroko Tetsuya."

Kuroko blinked, and then blinked again, not breathing at all for a long moment, his brain churning over Akashi's words. Then tears began to slide down his cheeks and he let out a soft sob as he hugged Akashi tightly.

Emotions came and went through Kuroko before he could even fully understand them. He never thought he would hear those words, not from Akashi but the words made him feel so warm and safe and happy.

"I love you too Akashi." Kuroko whispered and arms wrapped around him tightly, almost constricting his breathing.

"Then you have to stay by my side forever." Akashi murmured and Kuroko let out a wet chuckle mixed with a sob.

"Of course. I'll stay with Akashi forever." Kuroko whispered.

"Close your eyes then." Akashi ordered and Kuroko immediately obeyed. He felt Akashi grab his right hand and something was slipped onto his finger. "Alright you can look."

Kuroko opened his eyes and gaped at the ruby encrusted ring on his finger, rolling it around with his other hand, trying to get used to having something wrapped around his finger.

"Akashi?" Kuroko asked questioningly and Akashi smiled at him indulgingly.

"It's to mark you as mine and this," Akashi showed him a sapphire encrusted ring on his own right hand. "Marks me as yours. We have to wear these forever and never take them off."

"I promise I won't." Kuroko said throatily and the two shared a slow passionate kiss, feeling that everything was alright in the world.

It had been a long journey, from being a dog and a slave to becoming Akashi's lifelong companion, it hadn't been easy, but Kuroko knew things were going to be alright now.

Even if more trouble came their way, he had feeling that as long as they were together, they would be able to face it head on.

* * *

><p>"Oi!" Aomine grumbled grumpily as two children ran past him, nearly tripping him, only to fall on his butt when a huge malamute dog pushed past him.<p>

The children, both boys, giggled before darting down the hallways once more much to Aomine's annoyance.

"Nothing like their parents, I tell you." Aomine said with a shake of his head. "I'm getting too old for this shit."

The kids stumbled along the hard wooden flooring until one of them slipped on a wet patch, still wet from the morning cleaning, and he braced himself for the painful impact. Slender arms suddenly appeared and swept him off his feet and into a kind embrace.

"Papa!" The boy said happily as he wrapped his arms around Kuroko's neck.

"You two know better than to run in the halls." Kuroko softly admonished and both of them bowed their heads apologetically. Kuroko shook his head and looked at them both fondly.

After a few years of being together, Akashi and Kuroko had decided to go to a surrogate mother since Teiko and Akashi's businesses would eventually need heirs and the children miraculously didn't look like their surrogate mother, instead they looked completely like their father's respectively.

Their first born, who was to be Teiko's heir, was Hiroki. He was Akashi's biological son and as such, he had blood red hair, a touch darker than his father's, and he had red eyes although Akashi mentioned on of them might change to gold as his eyes hadn't changed until he was a teen.

Their second born, Mitsukuni, was Kuroko's biological son and it was planned for him to take over the businesses. He had blue, almost white hair and eyes the exact shade of Kuroko's mother's. He had inherited Kuroko's ability and was being trained to control it. Although, much to everyone's chagrin, he mostly used it to pull pranks on everyone.

The two were hyperactive little kids although they knew when to be serious. They were beginning to learn how to fight, much to Kuroko's reluctance but Akashi's insistence, just enough to know how to defend themselves should anything happen. Everyone taught them a bit, not just Nijimura who was their official teacher.

"Papa, is Uncle Mayu coming soon?" Mitsukuni asked and Kuroko smiled as he set his son down.

"Yes, he'll be here soon."

Mayuzumi had begun visiting a lot ever since the kids were born. Kuroko liked to think it was because his sons reminded him of when they were kids. Mayuzumi had changed his life around by making it his life mission to bring down crimes like what Haizaki had done to them. He went all over Japan, saving people who were victims of secret slave rings or saving kidnapped kids. It was a fulfilling life for Mayuzumi and Kuroko was glad for his twin.

"Let's go get your Father." Kuroko suggested and the two boys nodded vigorously before scampering down to Akashi's office, Kuroko trailing after them with a more sedated pace.

"Father!" The two shouted as they darted into Akashi's study without so much as a knock and tackled Akashi who gracefully caught them with a smile, Kuroko leaning against the doorway to watch in amusement.

"Have you two stayed out of trouble?" Akashi asked and the two nodded innocently.

"Oh really? Because I heard this morning someone glued Ryouta's door shut. Wouldn't know anything about that would you?"

"No of course not!" Hiroki said with an affronted look.

"We would never do something so awful!" Mitsukuni piped up and Kuroko shook his head in bemusement.

"Perhaps it was the glue fairy then. Just like last week when the sparkle fairy poured glitter all over the floors." Akashi said dryly and the two nodded seriously. "Those pesky fairies."

"I'm sure the fairies won't do it again though, right?" Kuroko said pointedly and the two boys nodded but with mischievous sparks in their eyes. Akashi ruffled their hair with both hands before standing up and walking over to Kuroko, kissing his lips softly and wrapping his arms around him loosely.

Kuroko leaned into him, both of them turning to watch as the two rambunctious boys started wrestling each other, incorporating fighting moves that they had learned.

"They look like us but they act like Ryouta and Aomine when they were kids." Akashi murmured wryly, his eyes soft and Kuroko chuckled.

"Those two are a bad influence." Kuroko said jokingly, his eyes a bit worried at the rough movement, concerned that they would hurt each other. Akashi nipped his nose lightly, washing away the look.

"Everything is fine, Tetsuya." Akashi murmured, leaning his forehead against Kuroko's.

"And we live happily ever after?" Kuroko asked in amusement.

"Precisely."

CRASH

"Papa, Father, we made a hole in the wall!"

So there we go the end of Beast. Thank you everyone who had ever reviewed I treasured each and everyone of them! There might be a sequel, I'm still debating, but it would be a oneshot and a large part would have only the OC twins so I'm not sure how many of you would actually read it XD Also if you guys have any tips for me to improve my writing please let me know!


End file.
